Sunkist Mist Moon
by Hasuko
Summary: A change occurs unexpectedly in Juudai's life, but is it for the better or worse? And as he copes with his new dilemma, how does this tie with the discovery of his feelings toward a certain black-haired rival? BL/Shounen-ai.
1. Acacia

Phew, I finally got this fic posted. I have been working on it for a while, several weeks now, to be exact. Um, this is my first fic in a _long_ while, and I just don't write much in general, so tell me something I don't already know. Yes, this is shounen-ai. (My first attempt at writing that too.) Anyone who wants to start to reconsider reading may do so.

Disclaimer: Oh, please. I don't even own the idea. Vulpixi Misa does. How sad is that? Kazuki Takahashi own Yuugiou, that I know. Not so sure if he also owns GX.

* * *

  
Chapter One

"Flame Wingman! Attack with Skyscraper Shoot!"

The winged monster's last attack reduced the life point meter to zero.

"Gotcha! That was a fun duel!" exclaimed young Yuuki Juudai, striking his two-fingered pose at his opponent.

"Tch. That was the fourth 'good duel' that you've won in a row," said Manjoume Jun as he re-gathered his cards and shuffled them to form a deck.

Dropping his fingers to the desk, Juudai began to gather his cards.

"I thought that was a pretty good duel. I would have lost if I didn't have The Warrior Returning Alive."

"It's not fun if you're the one to lose all the time..."

Juudai's face fell at his last comment. "Manjoume... Dueling isn't all about winning."

"Hmph, it's just the only thing that matters."

"Mm... How about a rematch?" Juudai offered, fire still in his eyes.

"How about not," the other boy stated, pushing himself away from the table.

"Aw, why not?" Juudai asked while he caught up with Manjoume.

"Let's just say you're one of the few people I'd rather not be with right now."

Juudai, who was once ready to respond, shut his lips. His eyes followed his rival's leaving form.

The brunette lingered behind for a while before he made up his mind and decided to tail Manjoume.

"Hey, Manjoume! Wait up!"

"What is it now?" he sighed, seeing that the other boy had chosen to follow him.

"Where are you headed for?" Juudai asked, oblivious to the other boy's harsh remark. He suddenly found his fingers fiddling with the ends of his side burns.

Manjoume stared at him with no specific emotion on his face, then turned back to the road.

"Why are you hanging around me anyway? Don't you have your two Osiris friends to bother?"

Still oblivious to his "insult," Juudai answered truthfully, "I think Shou and Hayato are somewhere with Misawa. Tutoring, I think."

Manjoume snorted and rolled his eyes.

"That was a rhetorical question..."

He trailed off as his gaze landed on Juudai twirling the ends of his hair. The brunette's actions reminded him of a shy school girl passively flirting with her crush. "Stop that," Manjoume demanded.

"Huh? What?" Juudai questioned. "What did I do?"

"Stop--" He slapped the hand that was entwined with his hazel strands. "--that."

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. The pair continued to stroll down the trail, shoes crunching against dirt and rubble.

"Hey, Manjoume. Where are we going?"

"_We_ aren't going _anywhere_. _I'm_ trying to get away."

"Away from what?"

"Away from you."

"...You don't mean that, do you?"

Manjoume stopped in his tracks and turned around to fully face Juudai. "Of course I do! Why the hell would I be saying it if I don't mean it! Geez, can't you take a hint? I don't want you here. Go away!"

Juudai was at a loss of words. Manjoume huffed angrily and continued on his way, making sure the other boy was left behind. He didn't see the hurt in the other boy's eyes. Juudai lowered his head to hide his pained expression.

"I'm sorry," escaped his lips.

Manjoume didn't hear that either.

---

Jars and glasses lined up across the shelves of the storage room, containing all sorts of strange things. A cat sat idly on top of a table near by, wagging its tail slowly back and forth. Its owner coughed from the dust flying everywhere while he moved around some boxes.

"It's been a while since we've cleaned this place, nya, Pharaoh?"

Pharaoh meowed lazily in response.

Daitokuji nodded to Pharaoh's answer, then proceeded to his renovation. His eyes then caught sight of a vial, one that looked oddly unfamiliar to him. He took the vial from the shelf, observing the contents within it.

"Nya, Pharaoh. Do you remember what this was for?" Daitokuji held out the bottle to show his languid pet.

"Reowr!"

"Mm-hmm, that's what I thought."

He set the vial atop of a cardboard box, then lifted it. Pharaoh leaped off the table to follow her owner as he left the storage room. While he was passing by the cafeteria to get to his classroom, Daitokuji suddenly remembered some test tubes and chemicals he needed for today's lesson. Quickly, he went to retrieve the equipment, leaving the box he was carrying on one of the cafeteria tables. The impact of the box being dropped caused the vial to roll around violently a few times, then tumble off the box. Luckily, the fallen container did not shatter. Minutes later, Daitokuji returned for the box, the vial left forgotten.

---

"Oi, Manjoume," Juudai greeted rather dully as the raven-haired boy entered.

"Sanda."

"Right. Sanda..."

Manjoume observed the figure sitting alone in the cafeteria before him. It wasn't hard to realize that the normally energetic boy was not acting like himself, especially if said boy with the normally huge appetite left his food untouched.

An idea struck him. _If this doesn't get him, I'm not sure what else will._ Juudai continued to stare absent-mindedly at the plate of crummy Osiris dorm food in front of him, that is, until he became aware of the hand reaching for his fried shrimp.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"I don't see you eating it." Manjoume popped a fried shrimp into his mouth, chewed, then swallowed.

Juudai slunk back on his seat and with a low grumble. The smirk already visible on Manjoume's face grew wider.

"What's wrong with you today? You're usually inhaling this stuff like a vacuum, along with everyone else's share," he stated plainly while he stuck a fried shrimp into the other's mouth.

Juudai blinked. Twice.

"Well, I better get going. I don't want to be seen hanging around you for too long."

As he turned around to exit, Manjoume's typical cocky grin slowly lessened to a small smile, one that was inconspicuous to the other. He walked out cooly, leaving the brunette alone once again.

A smile finally returned to Juudai's face, which quickly grew into his characteristic grin. At the moment, he looked a bit silly due to the shrimp tail sticking out through his teeth.

Juudai's enthusiasm revived along with his appetite. He grabbed the soy sauce dispenser, only to find it empty.

"Darn! How am I going to eat without flavoring?" he ranted to no one in particular.

On the center of the table, Juudai noticed a strange-looking vial containing a black fluid. _Maybe Daitokuji-sensei left this for us 'cuz he noticed we were out of soy sauce._ With a shrug, Juudai took the vial, poured some "seasoning" over his food, and began to scarf down, leaving the vial unclosed on the table. An uncareful arm, too caught up in shoving food down the owner's throat, accidentally knocked down the tiny bottle. Dark, black liquid oozed out of the vial and dispersed across the surface.

In a poor effort to clear the spill, Juudai grabbed a stack of napkins and laid them over the pool of "soy sauce." The liquid gradually seeped through. He let out a sigh of relief, picked up the cluster of soaked napkins, and tossed it into the garbage can.

"Aw, man! What a waste of good soy sauce!"

_...although it did taste a bit funny._

Finishing up the last of his lunch, Juudai left his empty bowls on the table and headed out of the cafeteria.

---

Night time came sooner than expected. The cool summer breeze blew against the trees, snapping off a few of its flourished leaves. The night sky glowed with its numerous mounted stars. All students were, or should be, asleep in their respective dorms. A certain brunette quietly made his way to the bathroom in order not to wake up his two roommates. Trails of perspiration slid down his face and his breathing became unsteady. Taking a few sluggish steps, Juudai stepped out of the dorm room to catch some fresh air. At least out here, he would not feel so hot. His back slumped against the door, his body sliding down as he slowly lowered to the ground. He wrapped his arms around his legs, bringing them closer to his chest. It took a while for his mind to register the shadow that was stretched out across the floor before him. He directed his attention towards the shadow's owner.

"What are you doing up so late?" Juudai asked the only Osiris without the distinguishable red blazer in a dozed manner.

A scoff. "I'm a light sleeper, even with earplugs. All the other losers here at this dorm must be heavy sleepers because your door slam is loud enough to wake the dead. Besides, shouldn't I be asking _you_ that question?" Manjoume replied in a tone that suggested how obvious the situation was.

"Huh? What question?"

Manjoume slapped a hand onto his face. _"What are you doing up so late!"_ he reinforced, then remembered to lower his voice.

"Oh! I, uh, wanted to stargaze for a little while. The air out here is fresh and the stars are so pretty, especially during the summer."

Juudai concluded his answer with a weak grin, an attempt to conceal his ill state. He wasn't exactly lying. The summer skies created brighter shimmers for the dotted specks of stars. Manjoume, however, wasn't buying it.

_Yeah, right. He's usually one to cherish his sleep._

He decided to not reiterate his thoughts out loud.

Juudai slowly arose and reached for the door knob. Just as he was about to touch the handle, Juudai felt a pain course through his head.

"Juudai!"

Manjoume caught the brunette before he could collapse. With some help, Juudai steadied himself.

"I'll be all right. Thanks, Manjoume."

A wave of his hand indicated his departure. The other hand gently shut the door behind him. All Manjoume could do was stare at Juudai's retreating silhouette, then at the smooth surface of the door reflecting the moonlight. A glint of concern shone on his eyes.

---

The rest of the night hadn't progressed so far without the twisting and turning of Juudai's limp figure underneath the smooth, silky sheets. His sweating was much more profuse and his breathing became more haggard. Eventually, he decided to get out of bed once more. He tried to walk in a straight line, but because his head was in too much of a haze, he moved wherever his feet brought him.

Juudai continued to stumble clumsily across the room. His vision was blurred, impairing his ability to make out where he was going.

His surroundings were splotched with all different shades of green. When he was finally able to stand still, he recognized the green objects as the trees in the forest outside of Duel Academia. Juudai wasn't sure how the heck he ended up outside of the dorm, but the tightening pain in his stomach restrained any further wondering. Leaning up against the closest tree he spotted, Juudai emptied the contents of his gastric cavity. Vomiting left his head in a spin. Holding onto the tree for support, he turned back to face the dorm. But before Juudai could take another step forward, the world around him blacked out.

* * *

Eh... I wasn't really satisfied with how I wrote this chapter. It'd be smarter to write things chronologically, but being me... I'm not sure whether Pharaoh's a he or a she. I think I remember the gang referring Pharaoh as a girl in the dub, though I could be wrong. 

I also realized how vague this chapter was. I apologize for making the settings so poor. I'm not sure how Juudai and Manjoume can just end up alone in the same room together, but that was completely uncalled for! I swear! (Or was it...?) I'd be an idiot not to include the other characters. They'll be in the next chapter. Please don't fry me for writing out of character! -hides-

The name of the fic comes from a flower in a game. Chips for anyone who knows what video game I'm talking about... and where the story is headed for!

Some criticism would be nice... and helpful. Um... review?


	2. Bells of Ireland

Wow, thank you to all my lovely reviewers! You rock! Mwah! Your reviews really help encourage me to write! Oh, and many thanks to **Silent Sage** for confirming Pharaoh's gender and **Fenella Riddle** for confirming my uncertainties.

To **Celestialfae**, since I can't PM you, in the original Yuugiou GX, everyone calls Manjoume "Manjoume," "Manjoume-kun," or anything else he wants them to call him. (Hence, "Manjoume-san, da" or "Thunder.") He does offer Asuka to call him "Jun" during their "love duel," but I don't think she took it so well since she still calls him "Manjoume-kun." I just wanted to make that clear, but if I'm making a mistake, please tell me.

Disclaimer: Uh... Nope.

Chapter Two

"ANIKI!"

Shou's worried call for his brother at heart awakened the dorm room's other occupant. Moving over his sheets to peer down at the younger Marufuji, Hayato asked, "What's wrong, Shou?"

"Aniki's missing!"

"Juudai?" Hayato bent down to lift up Juudai's blankets, finding that he was, indeed, gone.

"Where do you think he went, Hayato-kun?"

"Maybe he went to eat breakfast without us?"

The second-year Osiris shook his head. He noted last night how Juudai wasn't quite acting like himself. He even exhibited a few signs of illness. The brunette, now missing, assured Hayato that his condition was nothing to worry about, thus ending the subject. Not completely ensured by his answer, the koala boy decided not to push the topic, although it was bothering him now. Shou regarded this as well, but was given the same response. He, like Hayato, regretted not asking his aniki what was actually the problem. The two fixed their eyes at the empty bunk, wondering whether or not it had been their fault for Juudai's disappearance. Guilt slowly ate them away inside.

"We should go see if Daitokuji-sensei knows where he is," Shou suggested, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, let's go."

The two left the room quickly, hoping that their teacher would hold the answer.

---

Amber eyes cracked open. The blinding rays of the sun forced a hand to shield the brown eyes. Arms brought themselves behind the back to lift the body off the ground. Groggily, a finger rose to rub the sleep out of the weary eyes.

"Where... am I?"

Juudai caught his breath. His present surroundings confused him. A soreness spread through his body, and just now, he realized a slight change in his voice.

It took a while for the boy to rise to his feet. Before he could begin to wander around in search of a way back to the dorms, he averted his attention to the uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

A round-ish pair of flesh protruded from his torso, a pair that he swore were never there before. The flesh was bound by the confines of his black undershirt, the reason for the aching, tightening feeling.

Juudai's eyes could only widen.

A flock of sparrows flew as a scream rung through the forest.

Breathing heavily, he tried to control himself from his utter shock. Panic coursed through his veins. His mind would not accept this as a fact. No, it just couldn't be! What would people think when they found out that Yuuki Juudai had become a _girl_!

Juudai looked down again at his newly-discovered breasts, upset to find that they were still there. They were so uncomfortable and so... in the way. How in the world did girls tolerate this? Furthermore, how would he himself ever be able to put up with this?

This was far too much for poor Juudai to handle. The brunette didn't think he'd ever been in such a turmoil before in his life. He just couldn't live this way for the rest of his days alive. He'd find a way to return to his former sex, even if it killed him. (_Hiss... Too harsh?_) But for now, Juudai would just have to deal with this new form.

First thing's first. He would have to track his way back to the dorms. Fortunately, Juudai's directional senses were just as good as his written test scores, so arriving at his destination any time soon was not an option.

Unaware that he had been circling around the same set of trees, the lost duelist began to review the current situation. After giving it some thought, it was decided that no one, absolutely _nobody_ was to know about Yuuki Juudai's condition. They'd freak out, first of all, but that wasn't the point. He couldn't tell his best friends, as much as he wanted to. Juudai knew he could trust Shou and Hayato to keep his secret; that's what friends were for, after all. But their constant responsibility to cover up his "disappearance" with lies held him back. It would be too much pressure to put on his friends, and he didn't want them to go through that.

He could not let Asuka... or Misawa... or Kaiser, for that matter, find out. Their reaction to his change wasn't exactly his main concern but what brought fear to Juudai was their loss of respect for him as a duelist.

What if... _Manjoume_ were to discover his secret? The brunette wouldn't know how to ever face his rival again, and the humiliation would be overwhelmingly unbearable. He might never take him seriously ever again, or if worst comes to worst, the other might even shun him. Perhaps he was exaggerating, but nevertheless, the boy (or not, as of the moment) couldn't help fretting.

His thoughts stopped abruptly as he spotted... yes! Civilization! It seemed that some sort of crazy magic in favor of Juudai had brought him to an exit to this "maze." He recognized, however, that he hadn't arrived back at the Osiris dorms, but the Obelisk... _girls' dorm?_ From where he could see, a lone figure stood a few feet away from the dorm. Upon closer inspection, the figure looked a lot like... Asuka?

The snap of a twig under Juudai's shoes immediately brought her focus onto him. _Oh, crap! I was hoping she wouldn't notice me._

The Obelisk queen, suddenly determined to meet the new-comer, approached him. Frozen in his place, Juudai watched as she came closer. Asuka could see a nervousness, and perhaps a hint of fear, present in the girl's facial expression. She had never considered herself as someone to be frightened of, but continued to confront the girl face-to-face anyway.

"Hi, are you new here?" Asuka asked amiably.

"Uh...n-not really," the girl stammered. "Just..."

"Just...?" repeated Asuka.

Juudai tried to put together something quickly. "Just a little lost."

"Oh, is that so?" She didn't see how that was possible. Duel Academia was constructed on an island cast in the middle of the ocean. Asuka chose to let it slide, listening to her finish what she had to say.

"Yeah, and I kinda... need a place to stay."

"Is that all? Well, that won't be much of a problem. I'll see what I can do."

"Really? You will? Thanks!"

Asuka examined the grinning girl. Her sudden vivacity struck a familiar cord in her memory bank. The girl's limp hair fell slightly above her shoulders, only touching barely. Above her light brown hair covered a pale orange top, making it seem like a bright shine rather than the two colors being separate. Her petite body composition, with the girl standing about a head shorter than herself, would have given her the impression that she was a delicate child, if her boy-ish attitude didn't tell her otherwise. A new excitement glowed in her eyes, leaving Asuka to wonder as to why she seemed to have known her before.

"What's your name?" Asuka finally asked.

Juudai became stunned at the question. _Hurry! Make up a name!_

"J-juu..." he stuttered, all the while driving his mind wildly to create a name that, hopefully, wouldn't give away too much. "Juu...kujou... Yuuki...ko." He let out his breath. Man, it was hard to make things up on the spot!

"Yukiko? I like that name. Nice to meet you," she smiled, holding out a hand.

"Thanks..." Blushing a little from the compliment, she grasped and shook the hand firmly.

Juudai didn't expect the next question that was coming.

"Do you know how to duel?"

He stared dumbfounded at her. _Well, yeah. Of course! ... Oh, but she's not supposed to know that._ His flabbergasted expression was erased quickly.

"Yeah!" he replied, no longer able to contain his excitement. "I'm really good at it too!"

Asuka chuckled at her outburst of enthusiasm. "That's great. How would you like to stay here at Duel Academia for a while? I'll look for a way to get you in. Meanwhile, we can try to find a way to bring you back home."

Yukiko beamed at the taller girl's offer. "Yay! Thanks again, As---" She slapped a hand over her mouth. Asuka blinked at the girl's swift pause.

"Sorry. I forgot to ask you your name," she apologized, while bringing a hand to the back of her head, laughing nervously all at the same time.

"That's all right. I'm Asuka."

"Thanks... Asuka." She bowed down lightly, then sighed out deeply. _Phew, that was a close call. I can't believe I almost blew my cover!_

The Obelisk wasn't quite sure why, but her instincts told her she could trust the new girl. It didn't seem very difficult to get along well with said girl.

_She reminds me a lot of... Juudai._

---

Pharaoh rested next to a stack of papers on the writing desk. Beside the papers was a pen-wielded hand, jotting down scores on the surprise quiz given today.

_The spell speed of a continuous trap is equal to that of... my turtle?_

Seems like no one read the pages assigned in the textbook the previous night.

Sighing, Daitokuji skimmed through the silly responses he received, crossing them off with The Red Pen along the way. Pharaoh heard his master mumble something that sounded like "I guess I shouldn't count these," then a rapid shuffling of feet from outside the room, followed by a loud rapping at the door. Daitokuji set off to answer the door, upon revealing Shou and Hayato.

"Daitokuji-sensei! We've looked everywhere and we can't find Aniki!" Shou burst, his voice filled with panic.

"We thought maybe you assigned Juudai something to do while we were asleep," Hayato added more calmly, though with an equal concern.

"Juudai-kun? I don't remember giving him something to do..."

The two students turned to each other in shock.

"What are we going to do? Where can he be? ...I hope something bad didn't happen to him..."

The room drowned with the boys' worries. Daitokuji felt horrible, seeing that he was unable to solve his pupils' problem, though it had become a problem of his own as well.

"We can check with Principal Samejima," the teacher then advised.

Disappoint vanished from the boys' gray appearances, substituted by a rejoice.

"Yeah! Maybe the principal recognized Juudai's skills in dueling and he's getting some kind of award for it, or another chance to get promoted to Ra Yellow."

The spectacles-clad boy agreed with a nod. Together, the three hurried to the principal's office.

---

A pair of boots and sneakers clacked and squeaked noisily on the polished surface of the floors, producing a series of echoes throughout the hallways currently unoccupied by the student body. It was quite awkward, really. Neither had spoken on their way to the office. Juudai couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with the other, much less start some kind of small talk. On the other hand, Asuka couldn't keep her vision from wandering off to the being next to her. She couldn't help to be intrigued by the girl's charisma. Something about her, whatever it was, was distinct. The girls' arrival at the automated doors triggered the threshold to the office. Asuka signaled for both of them to enter.

"Good afternoon, Principal Samejima."

"Hello, Asuka-kun." He turned his head to the individual he had not yet been acquainted with.

"Well, who do we have here?"

"Principal, I have a request I'd like to make."

"Yes, what is it?" the principal inquired briefly.

Asuka glanced back at Yukiko before carrying on her request.

"This is my cousin, Yukiko--" A light jab of the elbow arrested the shorter girl's attempt to disagree. "--and she's here to visit me for a short time. May I have permission to allow her to stay at my room in the Obelisk dorm until she returns? She can duel well, so if she must, she will take an exam."

Juudai gawked when the term "exam" fell to his ears. Crap! He'd never be able to pass a written exam even if his life depended on it!

Samejima took a moment to think it over, then announced his final decision.

"Well... I suppose if she's just visiting, there's no harm in that."

"Thank you, Principal Samejima!" both girls thanked cheerfully in unison, smiles clearly plastered on their bright faces.

As Yukiko bowed down to the principal in deep gratitude, the doors slid open again to allow the entrance of new guests.

"Principal Samejima! Our student, Yuuki Juudai is missing, and I was wondering if--" All attention directed towards the speaker, though he himself paused, seeing that he had interrupted an important matter.

"Daitokuji-sensei, I'd like you to meet Tenjouin--"

"Actually, sir, it's Juukujou."

"Oh, my apologies. This is Juukujou Yukiko, Asuka-kun's cousin. She'll be staying in Duel Academia for a while."

Putting aside the other problem, Daitokuji offered Yukiko a handshake, who accepted uncertainly.

"Nice to meet you, Yukiko. I'm the Osiris dorm teacher, Daitokuji, nya."

"Nice to meet you too, Daitokuji-sensei..."

Behind Daitokuji were Shou and Hayato, Juudai noticed. They wore on their faces a strong determination to find their best friend. Hurt accumulated in his chest.

"Principal, I came here to ask if you've taken Juudai-kun into custody."

"What? Did something happen to Juudai-kun?"

"He's... missing."

Asuka snapped her focus to the conversation. "Juudai's missing?" Her voice carried a hint of concern.

"Yeah! Aniki just suddenly disappeared."

She turned her head away. "I wonder what happened to him..."

Samejima expelled the somber atmosphere. "I will propose a search party. Not to worry, everyone. I'm sure Juudai-kun will be fine."

"I hope so..." Daitokuji murmured, then exited the office with his two students accompanying him.

The headmaster turned back to face the new arriver. "I apologize, Yukiko-kun for the improper introduction with everyone."

Juudai waved one hand frantically, the other found its way behind his head.

"No, it's okay..." he reassured nervously. It sucked how ironic this was for his friends to be looking for someone who was right under their noses.

"Asuka-kun, you may take Yukiko-kun to your dorm."

"Yes, sir."

The two girls passed the silent hallways once more. Juudai's ears perked up to the sound of the other speaking to herself, unsure whether she had been referring to him and if he should reply.

"Juudai's a friend of mine. He may be silly most of the time, but I'd never expect something like this. How did he just disappear so suddenly...?"

Asuka replaced her sullen expression with a more fitting one.

"Sorry, Yukiko. You shouldn't be involved in this." She wearily forced a smile.

Pure guilt consumed Juudai entirely. The sight of his friends miserable without him inflicted an unspeakable pain to his chest. He felt useless, knowing he didn't have a way of attaining a solution to his girl troubles. Asuka's voice suspended him from wallowing himself up in his thoughts.

"Let's go to the dorm room. Later, I'll show you around the academy."

Perhaps now, it would just be better if he made the best out of everything.

"Okay!"

* * *

As you all can see by now, this is another turning-into-girl fic. I'm sorry if I disappointed any of you readers, but I have a perfectly good explanation for this! After my sister and I were discussing the topic of gender-bending fics, we've come to realize that of all the ManJuu ones, Manjoume is usually the one to change. 

I also apologize for the lack of ManJuu interactions. I felt this chapter was too repetitive and well, half-arsed. It was difficult to find a Japanese last name beginning with "Juu-," so I selected a name from a Japanese online dictionary. I hope it doesn't offend anyone. Ah yes, and I hope I didn't misuse any of the Japanese suffixes. I'm pretty sure "-kun" can be used for girls (Manjoume calls Asuka "Tenjouin-kun."), but I might have used it for the incorrect situation. Please, just bare with me!

Chapter three won't be up for a while, though I doubt some of you are still interested. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews! Love you all!


	3. Yew

Wah! Sorry for getting this up so late! I was... taking my time. -gets attacked- Hopefully this chapter isn't as boring as the last.

Disclaimer: It is _impossible_ for Hasu to own Yuugiou GX because of her lack of genius, creativity... and speed.

Chapter Three

"Next door is the dorm's hot springs. You can see it out the window from here."

Yukiko dashed to the tall window panes slightly covered by forest green curtains, and glanced to take in the view. She was right. Outside the dorm was, in fact, a dome-structured facility, barricaded by a wall of secure fences.

"Wow, it looks really nice from up here," Yukiko remarked in astonishment, eyes still scanning the luxurious scenery.

"Yup."

A knock sounded at the front door. Asuka snapped her head to the direction of her friends' voices.

"Asuka-san, are you in there? We kinda forgot our keys..."

The Obelisk girl huffed, a tad annoyed how irresponsible her friends can be at times. She unlocked the door, stepping aside to let them in.

"Thank god you were here. We would've been late for a club meeting if we couldn't get our stuff."

"Yeah! Then we'd miss out our chance to meet new guys!"

Sweatdrops formed at Momoe's exclamation. Yukiko blinked cluelessly, obviously not catching the drift of the topic.

"Hey, who's she?" Junko pointed to the stranger standing beside Asuka.

"Junko, Momoe, this is my cousin Yukiko. She's here to visit me. Yukiko, these are my friends, Junko and Momoe."

"Hi, Asuka's friends!" she greeted.

"Welcome to Duel Academia, Yuki--"

"Hi! You look like you know a lot of cute boys! Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Eh...?" In her haze of confusion, that was all the shorter girl could manage. What the heck was going on? Boys? Cute? _What?_

"Momoe, stop embarrassing the poor girl." Junko inched close to Yukiko. "Don't mind her. She's a little off the hook. 'Boy-crazy,' we might call it," she whispered.

"Anyway, hope you enjoy your stay here. Now, if you don't mind, we have a meeting to get to. Later!" With that, Momoe and Junko zoomed past the door.

_What was that all about?_

Asuka released a sigh. Her friends were fun when they wanted to be, but she wondered how she put up with them sometimes.

"C'mon, Yukiko. Let's check out the other dorms." The Obelisk began to head out the door.

Yukiko took another second to absorb the weirdness of Asuka's friends before replying, "Okay, wait up!"

The two made their way across the campus, which had been the same as it would've been when Juudai ran past it to get to class every day. It's funny how when your world changes, the rest of the world continues to spin as if nothing had happened. Guess that's what people meant by "No, the world doesn't revolve around you."

The brunette crashed into the taller girl's back.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why'd you stop?" Yukiko asked, seeing that Asuka had halted suddenly in her tracks.

"I just remembered something I had to do," said Asuka, more to herself than answering the girl. Her face fell. She knew very well that she couldn't just leave her new friend behind. Then, an idea clicked in her head.

"Yukiko, do you see that dorm house over there?" She pointed to a short building notvery far away. "That's the Osiris Red dorm. It's where the students with the lowest grades are. Average students are placed in Ra Yellow. I'm from Obelisk Blue, the highest rank. Despite their low rank, Osiris students aren't bad people. Anyway, can you stay there while I'm gone? It won't be long. You've met Daitokuji-sensei, so if you need anything, I'm sure he'll be glad to help. Don't be afraid to make a new friend! Well, I'll see you later!"

Yukiko watched the girl take off in the opposite direction, leaving her to wonder what the reason for her rush was. Brushing it off, the brunette set off on her excursion to the Osiris dorm. Yukiko wasn't hesitant to "befriend new people." Actually, she was quite worked up about seeing her roommates again, even if it meant meeting them as a stranger.

---

_Damn that Juudai!_

Manjoume cursed under his breath as he stormed towards his rival's room. A few days ago, the other boy had asked to borrow one of his textbooks, promising to return it as soon as he was done with it. Well, seeing how that hadn't happened, and he needed it for an assignment now, Manjoume reached the decision to retrieve his book himself, which is why he was here now.

The spiky-haired boy banged angrily at the door, yelling, "Open up, Juudai! I don't care if you're naked in there!" Erk. Scratch that. He knew he had more decency than _that_.

His false threat, however, received no response.

"Hey, isn't it a little too late to still be sleeping?" Manjoume shouted, again given no feedback. Strange. At least one of his friends should've answered, but it seemed they have vanished as well.

Discovering that he can easily turn the knob, Manjoume mumbled irritably, giving the door a nice, hard shove open. Right on the desk in the left corner of the room laid a lonely textbook. The poor book appeared to have already been blanketed with a sheet of dust. Picking up the book, the dark-haired boy's eyes landed on the empty bunk belonging to his archrival. He snorted, musing over the thought how one night, the boy looked as if he was about to die from some fatal disease. Then, the morning after, he was up and ready to attack the day. ..._His day._

While shutting the door behind him, Manjoume felt something bump into his chest. Something, or _someone_.

"Ow... that's the second time today..."

Juudai rubbed his head, then remembered it was rude of him not to apologize.

"Sor--" He cut off his words when he realized _who_ he had collided into.

_What the heck? What was Manjoume doing in our room?_

The object held in the other's hand gave Juudai his answer.

_Oh right, the textbook! I feel bad that I should've looked through it when I had the chance, instead of using it to play Frisbee with Shou..._

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Manjoume's concrete voice pulled the brunette back into the current issue at hand.

Manjoume noted the startle and fright written all over the face of the intruder. The fact that the girl didn't have on a girl's uniform might have explained why he had never seen her around the academy before.

"Ma--"

"Manjoume-kun! What are you doing to Yukiko?"

"Tenjouin-kun? I--!" Manjoume paused when he saw that he was being ignored.

"Yukiko, did he do or say anything mean to you?"

The girl threw both hands in front of her, saying repeatedly, "No, nothing like that!"

"Manjoume-kun, if you ever hurt her in anyway, I swear I will--"

"Calm down, Tenjouin-kun! I don't even know her."

Asuka flustered with embarrassment, then stated apologetically, "Sorry for accusing you like that..."

"No problem, Tenjouin-kun..."

Asuka disregarded the boy's heart-shaped eyes and goofy look, proceeding to talk. "Manjoume-kun, meet my cousin, Juukujou Yukiko."

Manjoume looked again at the girl who was now fidgeting in her place. "Your... cousin?"

"Yes. And of course, this is Manjoume-kun."

"Man...jou...me..." She then inserted in the last second, "-kun."

"Hello, Juukujou-kun," he greeted coldly. Yukiko winced at his sudden shift of attitude.

Their moment of awkwardness would've remained a while longer if Shou and Hayato's entrance would allow it.

"Heeeh? Manjoume-kun? Asuka-san? What are you guys doing in front of our room?"

Manjoume counted a number short of dropout boys. "Wait, where's the main loser?"

Suddenly, the mood had become depressing as it was in the office. Shou swung his head to the side and spoke in a wavery voice. "Aniki..."

"Juudai's missing," Asuka completed, making it less painful for the shorter boy.

No smug laughter shattered the melancholic air. No "Hn, good riddance." If anything, the morose had condensed.

"What...?" was the only word the raven-haired duelist could utter. His gaze grew distant. A faint whisper then fell from his lips. "That idiot..."

Manjoume turned a heel, walking away nonchalantly. "I have an essay I need to finish."

With that being said, he disappeared around the corner.

"Manjoume..." Yukiko mouthed.

"That's weird. Manjoume-kun actually looks kind of sad." Shou's eyes found the new acquaintance from the principal's office. "Oh, Yukiko-san. I almost didn't see you. I'm Marufuji Shou and this is Hayato-kun." The artist waved a "hello."

"Hiya, Shou!...kun. And Hayato...kun." Formality was something she would have to get some getting used to.

"We were just going to get lunch. Wanna join us? I heard they're serving grilled cheese," Hayato informed, then added, puzzled, "whatever that is."

"Who knows? But whatever it is, it sounds good!" Yukiko faced the almost forgotten girl. "You coming, Asuka?"

Asuka smiled, then nodded before catching up with the bouncier girl.

---

A belch erupted from a bloated Yukiko. Patting her stomach heartily, she exclaimed, "The Obelisk dorm sure knows how to serve up a good meal!"

This produced a mellow laughter from a certain Obelisk girl. She recalled the girl's monstrous appetite earlier that evening. Junko and Momoe had pointed out, much to their distaste, "She eats like a guy." Said girls were soaking at the hot springs, chatting themselves away about... boys? Who knew?

Currently, the other two girls were seated comfortably atop Asuka's surprisingly plain bed. One would think an Obelisk Blue had anything money could buy.

"Hey, Asuka? Earlier today, what did you have to do that was so important?" Yukiko questioned suddenly.

"Oh, I..." Asuka started. "I had something I needed to tell my friend."

The response resulted in the scrunching of her companion's countenance.

"Aw, that's it?" Yukiko thought that, perhaps, the taller girl had been given an exciting match to participate in, or something along that line. Her resilient curiosity cleared her disappointment, which led to her next question.

"So, who's your friend?"

"A bit nosy, aren't we?" Asuka joked, forming a smirk. Giving into her inquisitiveness, she answered, "The best duelist of the school."

_Kaiser?_

"Because of his reputation, they call him the Kaiser," she included shortly, as if she were reading the other girl's mind.

"How did you become friends with someone with such a high reputation?"

The girl's marathon of questions never ceased to weaken. In truth, she was interested in receiving her reply, both as Juudai and Yukiko.

Asuka, who didn't seem to mind all that much with the constant asking, continued. "Well, the Kaiser was good friends with my brother, so of course, I would know him." She paused to see if she had driven away the other's attention. Finding that Yukiko was listening intently, she proceeded with her narration.

"It wasn't until my brother disappeared that I've really gotten to know him. Actually, there are still plenty of things I don't know about him, since he's not the talkative type. There is one thing I do know for sure. My brother is back now, but Ryou was like my other brother while Nii-san was missing."

Her reaction wasn't immediate, but Asuka could see that her friend could sympathize.

"That's... great!" A smile graced itself on Yukiko's vibrant face.

Their conversation was slowly coming to a close as silence engulfed them. Only after a while did Asuka spark another one.

"It's been a really long week, with the teachers giving out finals and such. I'm not usually the type to do so, but I think I'm going to invite the others to a day at the beach. How does that sound?"

Yukiko's eyes gleamed with anticipation she just couldn't suppress. "Yahoo!" She pumped a fist into the air. Nothing beats dueling, but Juudai was glad he didn't miss out on any fun with his friends.

When she felt some weight leave the bed, Yukiko paused in the midst of her personal celebration, and span around to find Asuka by her wardrobe.

"Yukiko, you don't have any extra clothing with you, do you?" She whipped out a short-sleeve blouse which, much to the brunette's relief, wasn't very feminine-looking. "It's a little too small for me, but I think you can fit it." Asuka tossed the article of clothing towards the other's direction. Yukiko caught the shirt impeccably, just as she would with a baseball.

"My bathing suit is a bit tight too, but I don't think I want to go swimming anyway." Setting out a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, the golden blonde shut the wardrobe.

"C'mon, try it on," Asuka urged the shorter girl.

"Uh, sure..." Yukiko, with her arms crisscrossing over her stomach and hands gripping the hems of her undershirt, pulled it over her head to remove it.

"Ah! You're not wearing a _bra_?" The last word, "bra," was so drawn out, though the brunette wasn't sure what the other girl meant by it.

Revisiting the wardrobe, Asuka withdrew another piece of clothing, except it wasn't a shirt, nor a pair of pants. She advanced towards the topless individual, carrying in her hand an oddly-shaped garment. "Here." She handed the garment to the girl.

Yukiko eyed the article, then glanced at Asuka's impatient face... then looked back at the lingerie. Her perplexed expression told the Obelisk "What do I do with this?"

Asuka couldn't help exhausting a weary sigh. As if the new-comer wasn't weird enough already. Maybe where she came from, bras don't exist...?

"Hold up your arms," a demanding voice ordered. Yukiko was still lost as ever, but didn't object.

Straps slipped themselves easily around Yukiko's thin arms. She felt her cheeks flush as hands straightened out the cups so that they covered her breasts, and the same pair of hands clasped the hooks in the back, ensuring that they would be kept in place. Not after more than a second did Yukiko find this new feeling gross and unpleasant. She was eager to just rip the garment off viciously.

The blouse hugging her leg reminded Yukiko of her task. Grabbing both her undershirt and short-sleeved jacket, she trotted to wherever a mirror could be found. Locating one, the brunette donned her ebony long-sleeved undershirt once more, instead of dressing into the blouse. Her new red blouse fitted comfortably over the black. Yup. The fiery red passion of Osiris was still there.

"Looks good," Asuka complemented from behind, already changed into her puffy nightgown.

"Hee hee, thanks." Grinning cheesily, she slid off the jacket, engraving down in her mind her new outfit of choice.

"It's getting late. We should get some sleep."

The shadowing night sky reflected the truth in Asuka's statement.

"What about Junko and Momoe?"

"They'll be fine. They usually like to spend a longer time in the hot springs anyway, coming back pruned... whining..." She sweatdropped, then averted the subject at a sudden remembrance.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Where will you sleep?" The thought hadn't crossed Yukiko's mind, but it wasn't anything to panic over. Asuka was already rummaging through the closet, searching for something her friend could sleep on.

"Aha!" Asuka yanked out a futon and laid it out in the opposite area of her own bed. It was a mystery how the item was acquired, but the Obelisk could care less.

With an ecstatic cry, Yukiko plopped onto the thin mattress.

"Thanks, Asuka," she called out, then wormed into the futon. "G'night."

Asuka smiled. She lifted up her sheets and crawled into her own bed.

"Good night." Lights dimmed out and only darkness enclosed them.

Asuka's last phrase lingered freshly in Yukiko's mind before her brain seemed to hit rewind on today's events. Although it had only been the first day, Yukiko felt she was coping with her new form pretty well, and it had all been thanks to her female friend. Her identity was sealed, stirring the least amount of suspicion from those she had encountered. Best of all, she was still able to be around her friends and carry on most of what she normally did.

_"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"_

Even through the pitch-black, one could imagine the grimace Yukiko wore. Why had Manjoume's words, his harsh tone, stung? Why did she act so tensely towards the other boy? It was as if the boy's mere presence caused every nerve in her body to become dysfunctional, leaving her in a state of paralysis. Juudai had been chummy, as usual, around his rival. So why couldn't he now? Could it be the position he was in? There were so many questions, yet no one to turn to for an answer.

As Yukiko grew restless, it became more difficult to drift into the world of slumber she sought.

* * *

I thought this chapter would be shorter, but one thing led to another and, well... Manjoume scenes are so fun and easy to write! I hope to get more of those up. :D 

As for the "grilled cheese" joke, incase no one got that, Hayato doesn't obsess over grilled cheese like Chump--, er, Chumley does. I apologize for my sorry attempts at humor.

Vulpixi Misa has provided us with some visuals! Since I can't post up the link here, please visit my profile to view it!

Due to prep school, it might take even longer for chapter four. -groans- Meanwhile, review, please!


	4. Chrysanthemum

Eep! I apologize dearly for taking _forever_ to get this up. No, I'm not dead... yet. The chapter is short and mostly pointless, so yeah... Just bare with me... please? -resistible puppy eyes-

Disclaimer: -sigh- I could care less about owning something beyond my reach.

Chapter Four

Dazzling rays beat down from the glaring sun. It wasn't so bad. The air wasn't very humid, and the breeze was still chilly enough to nip your skin. Overall, the morning was a refreshing start for what would lie ahead in the day. That, and Asuka was in the Osiris Red dorm.

Wait... Asuka was in the Osiris Red dorm?

Curious, the raven-haired teen strode to where his eyes met his heartthrob. Perhaps today would be the day he would tell the captivating Obelisk Queen his true feelings. Manjoume Thunder came to a halt, finding his love interest dressed casually rather than in her traditional school uniform. Oh yeah, her cousin was there too.

Shou asked lightheartedly, "What brings you here, Asuk--"

"TENJOUIN-KUUUN!"

All attention shifted to the clownish figure, his arms flailing about and his eyes bushy with sheer oblivion. Asuka's brows twitched dangerously.

"Have you finally decided to be my girlfriend?"

"Manjoume-kun."

"We can take nice, long, romantic walks at the beach..."

"_Manjoume-kun._"

"...and if you want to go shopping, I can carry your--"

"_MANJOUME-KUN!_"

"Yes, Tenjouin-kun?" Manjoume innocently asked. Asuka couldn't help thinking how he resembled a puppy panting eagerly, trying to please his owner with his adorability. His atypically large, twinkling eyes emitted a shudder of revulsion from the Obelisk girl.

"As I was saying," Asuka continued, "I asked Chronos-sensei for permission to hang out at the beach side of the island. Chronos-sensei says we can only if Principal Samejima allows it, who didn't find it a problem. So... what do you guys say? Do you want to come along?"

It sounded like a pretty good idea. This would certainly be a good break from those late, back-breaking nights of strenuous studying for the set of exams that counted mostly towards their grades. Well, for those who _did_ study anyway.

"Yay! I want to come!" Shou chirped.

"Count me in," Hayato added with a warm smile.

Although unwilling, the two Osiris boys could take this as an opportunity to relieve themselves from mourning over their absent friend for so long.

At the other end of the group, it had taken a brief second or two for the gears in Manjoume's head to mesh and coordinate properly until a thought hatched. Hold on just a darn minute...

Asuka + Beach ...?

His heart leapt with triumph. If chilling at the beach with Asuka meant stealing a glimpse of her in a bikini, then by all means, he'd accept her invitation! Manjoume's eyes took the shape of diamond sparkles at the rewarding image.

"Don't forget about me, Tenjouin-kuuun!"

---

_Raising temperature causes the increase of both forward and reverse reaction rates, though not equally._ An intriguing theory... for those much like Misawa Daichi, anyway. The brainy Ra Yellow immersed himself with his scientific text. He sat beneath the cool shade of the umbrella table, which was just a short distance away from the tumbling waves crashing against the body of sand.

Misawa looked up from his book to see the arriving party. Asuka's brother, Fubuki, could be easily recognized from that tropical shirt he wore, and you would have to be blind to miss the ukulele he carried. Following him was Asuka herself and the remainder of the group, including the Kaiser. Judging by his expression... well, you really couldn't with Marufuji Ryou, but you'd get the idea that he didn't know why he was here. Misawa returned to his book at the sight of the volleyball net being set up. It wasn't that he preferred training his mind over his body, just that unlike baseball, volleyball wasn't his forte. He'd join the gang as soon as he finished reading about _Le Chatelier's Principle_.

"C'mon, guys! Let's play!" rang a jubilant voice.

Yukiko romped through the sand, volleyball secure underneath one arm. She positioned to serve, and no sooner did the game begin.

While the lively group engaged in their sporty activity, one individual managed to escape the growing enthusiasm. Manjoume spotted the secluded umbrella table and journeyed toward it, trudging strenuously through the treacherous sands. As he neared the isolated area, he noted the sitting figure as Misawa, diligently reading a book. Manjoume wanted to avoid conversation, and luckily for him, the other teen didn't seem as if he would turn away from his book any time soon.

Nudging aside a large sack that had been there, Manjoume settled an elbow on the table and propped his chin against the palm of his hand. What a huge disappointment. There he was, ready to snap a few shots of his dream girl in an attractive (preferably skimpy) bathing suit. And here _she_ was, wearing a plain T-shirt and knee-high shorts. He studied the scene ahead, and then it had occurred to him that he noticed something that was not there before.

_Bang!_

Another match started with an excellent serve from Hayato's side.

_Whack!_

And there, Asuka deflected the ball with a bump.

_Pow!_

Look at Yukiko's spike! ...which resulted in smooshing Shou's face flat as a pancake, embedding his glasses deep into the unfortunate bridge of his nose.

The game ceased instantly and the gang rushed to the poor victim's immediate aid. Yukiko, fraught with worry, was the first to approach Shou, knowing she was at fault for injuring the boy. Little was she aware of a mischievous smirk that played on the other's lips. The moment Yukiko extended a hand to check the wound, she was caught off guard. Sand sprayed all over her face from an agile swat of the unseen hand. Of course, she had been taken by surprise. After wiping out her eyes, instead of scolding the shorter boy, as Manjoume would assume, Yukiko returned the favor. Soon, a sandstorm ensued, consisting of handfuls of sand being flung back and forth.

Manjoume blinked from his shady seat. What a bunch of weirdos. Even when they looked like two sand mummies, they laughed off their ridiculous display without a care in the world. But what he saw wasn't a slapstick comedy.

Whatever happened to that unnerved, demure girl he confronted yesterday? The Yukiko before him now was free from all trace of anxiety. She appeared to be shedding her, if he could call it, _facade_ for the first time. ...Okay, so maybe he was reeking a few stalker attributes, but what else was the guy supposed to do? For crying out loud, Manjoume Jun was _bored_.

Then shaking off most of the unwanted sand, the girl stood up and nodded a word or two to the "volleyball posse" (he now labeled them). Manjoume's eyes steered off in hope of locating something entertaining to alleviate his boredom-induced brain. Upon having no success, he snapped back to the scene he had be spectating a while ago, then came into view with a Yukiko jogging towards his direction.

...And why was the new girl coming his way? It wasn't until her energetic characteristics completely vanished that Manjoume knew she evidently had not seen him reclining.

"Manjoume...kun," she addressed tersely, taking her last steps forward.

"Juukujou-kun," he followed up sternly.

It became definite that when it came to initiating any talk between the two, there seemed to be some sort of failure. Manjoume could tell that the girl was trying hard not to stare into his intimidating eyes.

Perusing through her features, he saw that, like Asuka, she was also wearing casual clothing, not that she ever had on the school uniform in the first place. The flaring red of her blouse roused some kind of familiar essence... Then again, red was just red--a primary color. Or was that all it was? He averted to her eyes again, which were now attempting to maintain a steady gaze with his own, but had no such luck. He was positive, right then and there, that the girl yesterday and the girl today were unmistakably the same passive female.

"I, uh, was getting some drinks for the guys," Yukiko finally spoke up. She reached pass Manjoume to unzip the large sack he had shoved away recently, and grabbed a few cans of soda. Oh, so that bag was a _cooler_.

"Gotta go. Bye!" With that, she made a run back to the others.

"Hn."

And so, Manjoume was left with no other choice but to watch the amateur volleyball game and Fubuki being swallowed by the waves. Yes, he was definitely bored.

---

"Does he always act like that?"

Here we go again, Asuka thought to herself. This time, however, she couldn't give her a clear answer unless she was given one of her own.

"Who?" she could only ask in return.

"Manjoume...kun," she said, tripping over the formal suffix.

"Like a jerk? Yeah, I guess you can say he has an inflated ego." Asuka hadn't really meant to sound mean, but she'd seen his haughty attitude towards Osiris Red students, and let's just say it wasn't very friendly.

"No, not that!"

_Come to think of it, though..._

"Then what?"

"Well, the thing is..." she trailed off. Yukiko started to reconsider her question, shifting around uncomfortably on her friend's bed.

"Mm-hmm?"

"Does... Manjoume-kun always act that weird?"

Asuka thought back to where amongst his actions "weird" might have fallen in. "Oh, you mean _that_. I suppose he does act like a clown around me. It kind of bothers me." Yukiko backed off a little at the sight of the other girl's arising twitchiness.

Remembering what was being discussed, the golden-eyed girl turned back to her only company. "Why do you ask?" she inquired back.

"I've never--" Then, a short pause. "No reason." She rested her hands to her sides and faced the window.

What the brunette was trying to say was that she never saw him like that before; never saw him as someone other than his cool and reserved self, but she had supposedly only known him for "a day." It would be much too suspicious if she opted to share that thought.

Normally, Asuka wouldn't push for an answer, but a newfound curiosity struck her. Besides, she wouldn't ask such an ambiguous question for no apparent reason. "There must be some reason. Now spill it." Inquisitiveness, to a point, brought about a forcefulness to obtain knowledge, she had discovered within herself.

Yukiko let out a sigh. There was no hiding from Asuka, was there? Inhaling deeply, she surrendered. "Manjoume-kun hasn't been the _easiest_ person to talk with, and every time I see him, I start getting a little... nervous. After seeing him all weird-like, I thought, 'Maybe there is more to Manjoume-kun than him just being mean.' I really want to get to know him, but when I get near him, I can only feel all my confidence slip away..."

_Get to know him?_ What the heck was she thinking? She wasn't trying to say what had deniably been said. Were her lips making up words on their own now?

Asuka took the interlude of silence as a chance to contemplate on Yukiko's "confession."

At last, a mysterious smirk was produced before she commanded abruptly, "Go to sleep."

Yukiko was obviously left befuddled. "Huh?"

"Let's get some rest. I sense there will be a lot happening tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow supposed to be?" she asked again, tracking in her memory for any special occasion that may come.

"That's for us to find out," Asuka concluded in a concise, at the same time resolute, tone and flicked off the lights.

* * *

I need to hang myself for making Manjoume go fanboy. (He reminds me of Sanji, from One Piece, yelling "NAMI-SWAAAN!") I didn't intend to, honestly! The "dating" and "beach" thing is borrowed from Janime references, and I'm pretty sure it's 100 percent inaccurate. 

-groans- Who knows how long it'll take for the next chapter to be up. Well, this is my last week of prep school, so I may have more time. The downside is my summer reading... -faints- Anyway, thanks for those who have been putting up with me this far. -huggles Ladyvella42- Reviews for the needy?


	5. Rosemary

Merry belated Christmas and Happy New Year!

Everyone, I am _beyond_ sorry. As I've stated on my profile, I'd taken time to apply for colleges (even now, though, still unsatisfied) and school hasn't been awfully stressful, but every class decided to throw a project here and there before we students can peaceably enjoy our winter breaks. But even that's not really the reason. Well, games tend to be addictive... though I would not have imagined them to be to the extent of obsession. So that led as a distraction. Anyway, I apologize for this not being any longer or better despite the time it took. The delay was also due to my deteriorating confidence, for every time I looked back at my writing, I would cringe. I'm sure I've already lost all my readers, but for those left (if any), well here it is. Finally.

Disclaimer: Okay, I already ran out of witty disclaimer notices (if I ever had any to begin with, haha). I don't own Yuugiou GX, and all that jazz.

Chapter Five

It wasn't a very good idea. At all. But what could he have said?

_"All right, everyone. Sorry to interrupt you from your daily activities but today we're going to look for Juudai!"_

Yes, go with that plan. Forget the fact that he was standing right there, next to her.

_"We're going to break into groups and look around different areas of the academy."_

Juudai didn't remember Asuka being such a leader figure.

_"...and Yukiko? You search the library with Manjoume-kun."_

This had got to be the worst case scenario. Ever.

Yukiko studied the walls, which have momentarily become fascinating, as she and her reluctant partner passed the hallways. Anything was better than having to make eye contact, much less, _any_ sort of interaction. She would give up her chance to regain her boyhood if it meant she could escape the wrath of this excruciating anxiety.

The feeling was completely mutual from Manjoume's perspective. It had been Asuka's wish to look for Juudai. Otherwise, he would have damn-well protested by now.

"This way," he directed holding up a pointed finger, much like a stiffened compass needle. Yukiko followed obediently.

Massive collections of books filled the shelves. There was fiction, nonfiction, encyclopedias, biographies, magazines--you name it. Yukiko couldn't repress the new excitement mounting in her chest. She hadn't given thought of visiting the library in the past. Though if she did, her objective there wouldn't have been to absorb information, but to fall asleep the whole time. Now she may have reconsidered as she was being enthralled by this gargantuan emporium of endless volumes.

"What are we supposed to do here anyway?" the other teen mumbled inarticulately to himself. Yukiko caught onto the exasperation hinting in his voice but said nothing.

One moment, her eyes were subconsciously fixed to the back of his night-shrouded trench coat; the next, they wandered off to a section to the right of Manjoume. Wordlessly, she found her feet bringing herself into the section as if she was in a trance.

She browsed vaguely through the flood of books, her head turning from left to right. Her eyes continued to glide through the bridges of the books until they came across one that stuck out from the rest. She pulled out the book from its tight, snug spot without a second thought.

_Spellcasters' Guide to Magic and Potions_ it read. Why a book such as this was in the library of a _dueling academy_ was beyond her. Quickly, she thumbed the pages, finding a picture here or there every once in a while.

"There you are," came a voice behind her kneeled body. The voice belonged to no other, yet Yukiko couldn't help being taken aback and shut the book by impulse as a result. Without having to turn around to confirm her guess, she could feel him peer down across her shoulder.

"_Magic and Potions?_ Who would've guessed someone like you were into this kind of stuff?" Manjoume said almost mockingly. In fact, he may as well have intended to mock her.

"Uh... yeah. Who knew..." She stood up with the book still in her hands and walked out the aisle, feeling wobbly as the blood rushed through her legs. Even though he wasn't obsessed with magic, mystical forces, and whatnot, Juudai had always believed it was wrong for someone to go and make fun of what others took interest to. He didn't need to defend himself now, just huff a little on the inside. Next time he wouldn't hesitate arguing full-out against Manjoume's snobby insults.

Pulling out a chair and hearing it squeak raucously against the floor, she plopped herself into the seat. She saw Manjoume grabbing hold of a seat as well, it being a few chairs away from hers. Good, she thought. A safe distance away from Mr. I Really Wish As Hell I Wasn't Here Right Now.

The brunette whipped open the book and began to skim through it once more before another comment erupted from the other.

"What's a book like this doing in the Duel Academia library?"

For once, Juudai was way ahead of Manjoume Thunder. "Beats me." She shrugged and resumed her "reading."

_How to Make a Love Potion... How to Turn Your Friend Into a Frog..._ If this was all there was, then she'd inferred correctly. This was just a gag book, chock-full of fun and trivia for magician-wannabes. Juudai didn't exactly deem magic as something nonexistent and nonsensical; he had a powerful imagination. If magic didn't exist, then how was he able to hear all those Duel Monster voices during his childhood? How would he have met his Aibou, Hane Kuriboh? The troubled teen let out a sigh. How he wished that he could just blurt out to somebody about his predicament. If magic truly existed, then it would have been that simple to just concoct a sex-changing potion, drink it, and get out of the mess he was in. It didn't help either that Juudai was alone with his stuck-up rival. Speaking of stuck-up rivals...

What had the dark-haired duelist been doing these awkward intervals of silence? She hadn't heard a peep from him since his last remark. Surely he should have left her by now, considering how he had no true purpose here in the first place. "Look for Juudai" must've certainly slipped his mind at this point. From the corner of her eye she tried to find any trace left of the wealthy boy, almost as if she was afraid to see him gone. And when her eyes became worn out from straining them, she tilted her head back slightly.

Manjoume Jun was still there. Should she have been surprised? She expected to see impatience scribbled over his face, but there was hardly any sign of that. She couldn't pick up a frustrated growl or a hatred radiating towards her for dulling him out so. He just sat there with his arm supporting his side-turned head, his fingers drumming lightly and rhythmically on the table. His profile displayed only mild boredom, nothing more. No contempt, no disdain.

Blood furiously climbed up her cheeks and her heart suddenly felt heavy, but Yukiko couldn't understand why. Was he... Was Manjoume actually waiting for her to finish "reading" (she visualized herself using air quotes) her book? W-wait... He wouldn't do something like that... would he? The last time he showed such selflessness was when...

_Juudai continued to stare absent-mindedly at the plate of crummy Osiris dorm food in front of him, that is, until he became aware of the hand reaching for his fried shrimp._

_"Hey, that's mine!"_

_"I don't see you eating it." Manjoume popped a fried shrimp into his mouth, chewed, then swallowed._

Yukiko furrowed her brows. No, that couldn't be right.

_"What's wrong with you today? You're usually inhaling this stuff like a vacuum, along with everyone else's share," he stated plainly while he stuck a fried shrimp into the other's mouth._

_Juudai blinked. Twice._

_"Well, I better get going. I don't want to be seen hanging around you for too long."_

The last memory rewarded her lips with a smile. What the raven-haired boy had done back at that time she still couldn't quite fathom, but whatever the reason for his actions, they've succeeded in bringing back the Osiris' cheerful self.

_Juudai slowly arose and reached for the door knob. Just as he was about to touch the handle, Juudai felt a pain course through his head._

_"Juudai!"_

_Manjoume caught the brunette before he could collapse. With some help, Juudai steadied himself._

_"I'll be all right. Thanks, Manjoume."_

...So Manjoume _had_ been kind to the brunette a couple of times in the past after all, huh? Why had Juudai never noticed before? Or even if he had, how could he have just passed it off so easily, like Manjoume being nice was the most ordinary thing in everyday Duel Academia life?

She felt her heart accelerate its pace but, in the following heartbeat, swell up when another memory struck her.

Out of the many different friends (and rivals) Juudai had made throughout his first year at the academy, Manjoume's personality was one of the most discrete among the others. Perhaps it was what drew the brown-haired duelist closer to his less-than-friendly adversary. "Closer" meant that Juudai had the urge to stick by his side and hang around the other (for "friends sake" he would've liked to call it). He admitted internally that the fact Thunder was trying hard to push him far away pained him. It really did. That must've been why words such as "I'm trying to get away from you" stunned him, and his cold front to Yukiko hurt even more. It was almost like...

Then the beating of her heart skidded to a sudden halt. As the pieces of this mad puzzle, a.k.a. Juudai's emotions, were finally coming together, things became clearer and clearer, making more and more sense. The feeling did not make itself completely known, but he was able to reach one conclusion, a truth he could no longer deny.

_I guess it's really true then. I... like... **Manjoume...**_

And he did. He liked Manjoume's nonchalant and collected attributes. His smirks and sly comments hadn't really bothered him--okay, maybe just a little--but they were what made Manjoume... well, _Manjoume_. Heck, he even liked his catchphrase. It was fun to shout along. Remembering the grey-eyed boy's moments of concern for him somewhat irked Juudai, seeing how that was irregular from the norm. It made him skeptical, and he thought perhaps it was merely a trick that his scrambled mind was playing on him--a figment of his imagination. Nevertheless, he wouldn't mind a little more kindness and caring from the other. (Too much of it and he'd think something had gone horribly wrong with his rival.)

Yukiko snapped out of her seemingly interminable reverie, but immediately buried her face into the guide. To think she could ever face him again after such obscene thoughts. The idea even to turn her head aside to check up on what he was doing was difficult.

What _had_ he been doing? She had been riding her train of thought for quite a lengthy amount of time, she had nearly forgotten his presence. It was about time they reunited with the others anyway. Guilt ran through her veins for returning fruitless, but in truth, there _was_ no "search." Her agonizing partnership with the person she wanted _least_ to be around was pretty pointless.

Mustering whatever bit of courage she had left within her, Yukiko pulled back from her book and guided her eyes to where they last left Manjoume.

"Hey, Manjoume-kun." Her voice sounded a little hoarse from not having spoken for the duration of time they haven't interacted.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he rotated his neck to the voice that referred to him. His eyes seemed like they've had the lives drained out of them. "_San_, da. What do you want?"

She chuckled. "Oh, sorry, San--"

In a series of reactions that triggered the next, her chuckle died out, her face grew pale and her eyes widened. It felt as though she was being mirrored because she could see that Manjoume wore the same expression.

"I think we better get back to the others," the brunette finished making her point before another round of silence could begin. Any more of that and she didn't know if her sanity would stay intact.

"Good idea," he agreed, rising from his seat.

They quietly made their way out the library, where Asuka's being greeted them right at the hallway.

"Asuka?"

"T-Tenjouin-kun?" both uttered incredulously in unison. The two hadn't expected their golden-haired commander to request a report until... well, much later. Yukiko hoped her friend wouldn't be too disappointed that they were empty-handed.

"So guys, how did it go? Have any luck?"

With the tone she used and the fact that her focus was directed to only Yukiko rather than the pair together, the brunette couldn't fight back the idea that the Obelisk girl was suggesting something other from her words. Was there some sort of hidden meaning to them? To top it off, the secretive, little wink she sent her had definitely added to her confusion.

"Nope. Sorry..." she apologized.

"Oh, is that so?" Asuka exhausted a light sigh. She shouldn't have expected remarkable results from the man hunt, considering that the assigned area was a _library_. They couldn't possibly put the informative resources to good use unless the computers were being accessed to pinpoint specific locations for a missing teenager; that kind of skill would take a certain level of expertise that maybe only Misawa had.

This wasn't the point. Yukiko would have assumed the taller girl to be a little more upset (Not that Juudai was glad to see his friends fret over him twenty four-seven, mind you.), but it almost appeared she was disappointed for another reason, such as the fact that her message wasn't being perceived.

"Well, there's always another day. We can't give up hope," Asuka declared, her resolve crystal clear. The three would meet up with the others, then head back for their dorms and call it a day.

As they ventured through the halls, Yukiko's eyes were downcast. She mumbled, doubt filling her voice, "I hope there is..."

---

It was peaceful, though the tranquility was not quite appreciated. In return for this moment of uninterrupted harmony, the cafeteria had been so lonely as of late. Chin resting on the knuckles of overlapped hands, Daitokuji released a sigh of distress as he yearned to hear a certain student's anticipated demand for dinner. Beside him, Pharaoh laid curled in a sleeping position awake, although not lively.

Soon, he would call his Osiris students for their meal, but for now he only wished for solitude. (Not to exclude Pharaoh, of course). Filling in the boy's seat didn't fill the gap in his heart.

"What could be happening to Juudai-kun right now?" he asked out loud. He wasn't sure if he was asking Pharaoh either.

The feline got up on all fours and let out a drawled yawn while stretching out. Daitokuji resumed his slacken posture until light clanking sounds caught his ears.

"Stop, Pharaoh! The boys need that for their tofu!"

His owner's command didn't stop him from pawing at the soy sauce dispenser. Only, it wasn't a soy sauce dispenser, Daitokuji realized. It looked more like...

The spectacled teacher inched back in disbelief, as if he had attained the solution to a mystery but was shocked with the answer. In haste, he snatched the vial beneath Pharaoh's paws and darted to the storage room.

He hoped the boys wouldn't be too angry for calling them in a little late.

---

Yukiko pictured how glum she must've looked to the other girl, who would then question her mood. And sure enough, she did.

"What's on your mind?" Asuka brushed her hair, arms moving in a repeated motion, as she waited patiently for a response.

"It's nothing..."

Okay, so that was a lie. Something _was_ bothering her, though not critically. No, she was more confused than she was upset. Thoughts zoomed from Asuka's indirect indication to what she felt for Manjoume, which left her all the more disconcerted. And then there was the "Thunder" incident. That was just plain freaky. On the back of her neck, she could feel sweat beginning to form. What if he _knew_?

Just as Asuka was about to refuse "nothing" as an answer, the girls heard knocking at the front door.

"I'll get that," Yukiko insisted, hopping off the bed to retrieve the call. Who would want them at a time like this? She hoped she didn't get into any kind of trouble she didn't know about.

She cracked the door ajar to identify the visitor. Her grip on the doorknob loosened, causing the door to gradually creek open all the way. There at the front door, in that unmistakable dark trench coat, stood Manjoume.

"Juukujou-kun," he said, his voice never wavering, "I challenge you to a duel."

* * *

I haven't seen the current GX episodes (the end of season two and the beginning of season three), nor visited the fandom recently, so if I've written anything wrong, well, let me know. (On second thought, don't. I don't want to be spoiled.) I don't think there should be a problem though, plot-wise, because this fic takes place during the first season anyway, but I guess you've already had that figured. Oh, the library was my creation. Whether or not one exists in Duel Academia, I would not know. 

As usual, reviews are gladly appreciated and loved, no matter what amount. Flame me (reasonably) if you must, though I greatly deserve it for making everyone wait. Criticism would also be nice, as I believe I'm in dire need to improve my writing. (I'd still be surprised if everyone hasn't given up on this already.) I have no idea whatsoever when the next chapter will be up. The worst that could happen is if I decide to discontinue, but I hope that won't be the case. Um, anyway, I thank everyone who has read this far and I shall try not to let you down!


	6. Forget Me Not

Liek, OMG. It's finally done. Well, this chapter anyway. The duel took forever to come up with because I wasn't sure which cards to give Yukiko, and stuff. The duel uses English card names and terms, and since I can't write action to save my life, you can go ahead and skip the duel if ya want. There are a few important parts, but it won't kill you if you miss it. The good news is that I'm jumping back to GX, catching up with the Johan and stuff. Makes things slightly easier to write. So, yay.

And if you still haven't seen Mohoono-chan's fanart, you shall be broiled! -cackles- Er...

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, don't own Yuugiou GX, and blah, blah, never will.

Chapter Six

Returning the cards in her hand to their proper place, Yukiko reached for another stack. It amazed and thrilled her just how many cards Asuka owned, but she shouldn't have expected any less from the Obelisk Queen. (She would remind herself to borrow some of Asuka's cards once she restored her true form.) Selecting the cards for her impromptu deck was a more difficult task than she had imagined. For now, however, Yukiko would have to make do with the cards provided, and she was rather grateful for her friend's offer.

Class was currently in session while the brunette remained in the dorm. She saw herself as fortunate, for she was "excused" from her academic learning. Extra sleep was always a privilege to be thankful for. And yet... In void of company, everything appeared dull and dreary.

The room bathed in the morning sunlight, save for the elongated silhouette that lounged by her side. Yukiko leaned her head against the plush mattress, allowing her legs to sprawl out on the floor. Her droopy eyes ran smoothly across the surface of the empty walls.

_"Manjoume-kun?" Asuka's voice rose at the sight of the unlikely guest. "How did Ayukawa-sensei let you in?"_

_"I told her I needed to give you something back. It's not hard to lie." Then facing the shorter of the pair, his glance seeming to test the girl as well, he asked, "Do you accept?"_

_Who was he kidding? Of course, Juudai would jump at the proposal. But things were no longer the same for the teen. Manjoume was not challenging the rival whom he, time after time, wished desperately to surpass, but a stranger whom he'd barely known, and for what purpose? Juudai did not know._

_What was she supposed to say? In any case, she'd never turn down a duel, but something in the back of her mind warned her not to make such a rash decision. What was it that she could lose?_

_Paying heed to her tentative conscious, she nodded warily. "Sure. When and where?"_

_"Tomorrow at the arena, after all classes end," came his response. "I'll see you there."_

_He turned to leave, but before retreating to his own dorm, his final words met her ears. "Be prepared."_

Light continued to flicker restlessly upon the confining space around her, alternating with specks of shadow. She hardly remembered the cards slipping away from her grasp. Yukiko's eyelids began to grow heavy. A few strands of hair falling quietly over her eyes, she submitted to the conquering drowsiness.

---

Sluggishly, Yukiko's senses were regaining at the contact of gentle hands shaking her slumped shoulders. Freeing herself from a yawn and stretching away the soreness clinging to her limbs, she looked up.

"You look so peaceful when you're asleep," Asuka noted, smiling. Then an amused laughter broke the no-nonsense, though not deadpanned, air about her. "Although I must say your snoring is something else."

Yukiko blushed and laughed sheepishly, knowing it was nothing new.

Asuka's eyes narrowed to the cards strewn on the carpet. On the verge of picking them up and reordering them (It had become a habit), her memory struck her. "Yukiko, your duel!"

Said girl's eyes widened, then slapping her forehead, she exclaimed, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Shoving quickly together the scattered cards resulted with an untidy mass. She apologized, handing her the unkempt pile and promising to reorganize it once her duel was over. Gathering her deck and borrowing Asuka's Duel Disk, she headed for the door. "Are you coming?"

The taller girl's golden eyes fell, regretful. "I wish I could see how well you duel myself, but tomorrow's the last day of finals, and I should be studying extra hard."

"It's okay. I understand," Yukiko assured. Asuka watched her roommate shut the door behind her.

---

With the feeling of his Duel Disk weighing down his arm and his scrutinizing gaze on the top of his deck, Manjoume had come to the conclusion that his patience was wearing incredibly thin. However long it took, he _had_ to wait. There was something he must fulfill.

His head perked up at the sound of rapid footsteps increasing in volume. He smirked. She had arrived at last.

"Sorry, sorry!" she piped, rubbing the back of her head. "I... took a nap." Yukiko laughed nervously.

"Hn, whatever. Just get on the platform."

In a flash, she leapt up to his level. Then, raising her Duel Disk in a swift yet firm motion, Yukiko slapped her deck into its holder, activating and lighting up the Life Point meter. Her entire demeanor had changed. "All right. Get ready," she said in a tone evident of confidence.

It took a good second before Manjoume could reply to her remark. The strange girl's transformation had just taken him aback, that was all. "You're one to be telling me." He also poised his Duel Disk in a ready stance. As the disks altered to their dueling mode, both fighters shouted simultaneously, initiating their match.

"DUEL!"

---

Each and every turn made after the next gave rise to the intensity of the fight. Yukiko gave it her best, or at least the best she could give with a deck to which she was unfamiliar and cards she had very little of a bond with. It was due to this that her spirit did not blaze as brightly and strongly. That didn't simply stop her from trying her hardest. Despite her effort though, Manjoume's deck boasted fearsome power, and it would take an equally tremendous power to counter such strength. What with only her force of "small fry," Yukiko might not stand a chance at all.

Yukiko bit down lightly on her lip. Judging by the obvious difference between their Life Points, she knew things were currently looking bleak for her. She had managed to bring his Life Points down to 2900, but with just 1100 Life Points left of her own, there wasn't much to brag about.

The cloud of dust brought forth by Manjoume's monster's last assault slowly began to dissipate. Yukiko's side of the field was revealed to be completely empty.

"My turn. Draw!" The brunette drew with a dramatic gesture and examined her new card. She made up her mind for her next move, and giving up wasn't an option.

"I play The Warrior Returning Alive to bring one Warrior from the Graveyard back to my hand." She selected a card from her Graveyard pile and placed it back in her hand. "Now I'll summon that monster to the field. Go, Marauding Captain!"

On the field appeared a blonde-haired soldier in lustrous silver armor and a flowing cape of garnet and navy. In his hands he wielded two long swords, one slightly smaller than the other in length. Marauding Captain had an Attack of 1200 points.

"Because I Normal Summoned Marauding Captain, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster from my hand. I choose Command Knight!" She slapped the card on her Duel Disk, and the hologram of a female warrior clad in grand, crimson armor, a round helmet with sprouted golden wings, and an elegant dark blue cape, was projected next to Marauding Captain. Command Knight, with the Attack Points of 1200 as well, laid her gauntleted hand over the hilt of her sword still in its sheath, positioning in a prepared stance.

"Marauding Captain doesn't let any of my Warriors become attack targets, and Command Knight boosts the Attack power of my Warriors by 400." Both monster's Attack Points raised to 1600. "Marauding Captain, attack!" she declared. The captain approached Manjoume's Chthonian Soldier (ATK: 1200) and struck the monster with both swords, blasting it to particles. Manjoume's Life Points dropped to 2500.

"Heh. Don't forget, you take the same amount of damage as I do for destroying Chthonian Soldier!"

Yukiko winced as her life declined to a mere 700 points. She was able to take down one monster this turn, but Armed Dragon LV5 (ATK: 2400) on Manjoume's field was an obstacle she still couldn't get through. There wasn't much she could do for the remainder of the turn. "I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Hn, about time. Draw!" Her puny monsters were no match for his Armed Dragon although he hated to admit that nullifying his call for attack wasn't such a bad defensive maneuver. Just then, it occurred to him that she didn't mention anything about destroying her monsters with Spell, Trap, or monster effects... and his Armed Dragon LV5's ability enabled him to do just that.

"So what if I can't attack your monsters? You never said I couldn't destroy them in _other_ ways." As he expected, she became alerted by his indication. "By sending one monster card from my hand to the Graveyard, Armed Dragon LV5 allows me to destroy one of your monsters with an Attack equal or less than the Attack of the monster I sent to the Graveyard." Manjoume held up the monster card to show his opponent. "I'm sending Mefist the Infernal General with the Attack of 1800." Then pointing to his target with the card between two fingers, he yelled, "And I'm getting rid of your Marauding Captain!" The Graveyard slot pulled in the card as he inserted it.

Its effect triggered, a stream of missiles launched from the armored dragon's back and headed straight for the victim. Yukiko braced for the impact, shielding herself from the smithereens.

"Now I can wipe out the last monster on your field." He commanded Armed Dragon LV5 to attack. But just as the heavily equipped dragon was about to swipe with its claw, a transparent barrier formed around Command Knight and prevented the blow. "What?"

"Trap card, activate! Negate Attack!" Said card had already been displayed on Yukiko's Spell and Trap zone. "That stops Armed Dragon LV5 from attacking and also ends your Battle Phase!"

Thunder growled under his breath. If he was able to destroy one of her monsters in battle with Armed Dragon LV5 this turn, it surely would've been the end for her... "Turn end."

"My turn. Draw!" It was no good. Manjoume was still a step ahead of her. On the other hand, an attack-negating card like Negate Attack would be her opponent's ball and chain later.

"I activate Pot of Greed!" Drawing two more cards, Yukiko's face lit up. "I'll play Reinforcement of the Army, which lets me add one Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type monster from my deck to my hand." She shuffled her deck after deciding on her card, then summoned her monster. "I summon Mystic Swordsman LV2!" A small, somewhat grumpy-looking swordsman donned in a pointed, tin helmet, and purple and white tunic materialized on the field. Mystic Swordsman LV2 (ATK: 900) gripped his single beam sword.

"I thought you'd have something up your sleeve. Now I see it's just another small fry," Manjoume ridiculed.

"Hold it, Manjoume...eh...kun. It may not look like much now, but it _will_ become stronger. That's why I activated this from my hand! Level Up!" The little warrior's body glowed and morphed until in its place stood a taller swordsman, his beige hair loosely tied, in a similar tin headgear, and purple and white, green-striped tunic. The only difference being that the fighter possessed another crystal-clear blade, there was no mistake that this was the same Mystic Swordsman evolved in features and strength.

"Level Up! lets me send a monster on my field with 'LV' in its name to the Graveyard in order to Special Summon the monster written on the card text from my hand or deck. But the best part is that I get to ignore the summoning conditions! Now Mystic Swordsman is LV4 (ATK: 1900)!" She grinned. "Because Mystic Swordsman is a Warrior, Command Knight boosts its Attack Points by 400 (ATK: 2300). And as long as one other monster is on my field, according to Command Knight's effect, she can't be an attack target."

Arms crossed, Manjoume arched an eyebrow. "Even after all that, it's still not enough against my Armed Dragon."

"I'm aware of that. So I equip Mystic Swordsman LV4 with Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade!" Wielding the Divine Sword, the warrior's Attack rose by 300 and was now given the total of 2600 points. "Attack, Mystic Swordsman LV4!" With great speed and agility, the swordsman fearlessly dashed for the armed beast and lashed his newly acquired weapon, setting off a fiery explosion. Manjoume's Life Points decreased to 2300.

"And Command Knight will attack directly!" It was a moment too late for Manjoume to endure the monster's attack. The swift slash of the knight's blade made cleanly through his chest provoked a gargled cry of pain, and his Life Points were critically cut to 700.

"One last thing. When Mystic Swordsman LV4 successfully destroys a monster in battle, it levels up to LV6 (ATK: 2300)!" Transforming yet again, the powered swordsman gained the 400 Attack bonus from his fellow Warrior (ATK: 2700). "I end my turn."

Yukiko studied her dark-haired challenger. Was it just her... or did it seem like Manjoume wasn't really fighting back? The conditions were, after all, _different_. The girl named "Yukiko" wasn't considered his rival, therefore having no need for him to go all out. _So I'm... just another opponent, huh?_ she thought, oddly feeling hurt. She shook her head and concentrated back on the match.

The tables had turned on him, yet he couldn't find it in his place to be frustrated with his competitor. The girl's way of dueling certainly wasn't letting him down him.

"Draw." A smirk curled on his lips. "I set a card face-down and activate Card Destruction! We both destroy our hands and draw the same amount as we had before." Yukiko complied without protest, although it puzzled her why he would destroy his own hand.

From the other end of the field, she heard a low, smug chuckling. Apparently, that was a good sign for Manjoume, but it wouldn't be for her.

The card he had set earlier flipped face-up. "I activate Level Modulation. You get to draw two cards." The brunette did so, being left in a state of bewilderment once more. "But that little treat won't save you, because I'm about to summon Armed Dragon... LV7!" The colossal being loomed over her minute self, its silhouette extending over her entire field. Coated in razor blades, drills, and spikes, the red dragon let out a fierce roar. She had a feeling in her gut that this wasn't going to be pretty.

_But how...?_ And then it struck her faster than Juudai could fall asleep in class. Armed Dragon LV7 was sent to the Graveyard by Card Destruction's effect!

"Fortunately for you, I can't attack with or apply Armed Dragon LV7's effect this turn. You get to live an extra turn."

Yukiko gritted her teeth and shut her eyes, wondering how she would get herself out of this one. As if Armed Dragon LV5 wasn't already a challenge. How pathetic she would look under Manjoume's defeat...

_Kuriii!_

Huh?

_Kuri! Kuri!_

The duelist opened her eyes. Could it be...? _Aibou! I knew you'd still be there for me._ Somehow, Juudai wasn't surprised to find his partner by his side in card and spirit. Putting all her trust into her next card, she drew. Her lips formed into a smile, and relief, reassurance, and a new ounce of adrenaline came rushing into her body.

Manjoume pondered the girl's attitude shifts, which he found to be frequent among her already questionable behavior. He was sure he had her in a pinch, right where he wanted, but the next second she was already back on her feet, not fazed at all by Armed Dragon LV7's power. Was it possible for _anyone_ to be so resilient? Other than _him_...

"I'll set two cards down, and switch Command Knight (DEF: 1900) and Mystic Swordsman LV6 (DEF: 1700) to Defense mode." Both warriors kneeled in guarding positions. "I end my turn."

"Whatever position you change them to, they'll soon be gone anyway. Draw!" Ironically, when he thought he couldn't lose to the likes of her, he was faced with 700 Life Points, equal to the girl's. This would be her last turn; he'd make sure of that. Now if it wasn't for her look of determination, he would've thought she was giving up.

"Now that I can attack and use Armed Dragon LV7's effect, I'll send Despair from the Dark (ATK: 2800) to the Graveyard. All the monsters on your field with an Attack equal or less than 2800 are destroyed! Armed Dragon LV7, Genocide Cutter!" Two razor disks shot from the abdomen of the creature flew in obscure directions before hacking into Yukiko's only defending monsters, eliminating them in an instant. The impact of the assail sent her flying back a few feet, and she couldn't help emitting a cry.

"Attack directly! Armed Banisher!" The dragon raised its mighty claw, ready to strike...

"Quick-Play Spell, activate! Celestial Transformation!" she called out, breathing raggedly. Yukiko got up in the nick of time to delay Manjoume's attack. "With Celestial Transformation, I get to Special Summon one Fairy-Type monster from my hand. It's Attack is halved and it must be destroyed by my End Phase, but that's just about enough time I need. Come out... Hane Kuriboh!"

As though he had just taken a blow to the chest, Manjoume's breath escaped him.

The furry, winged creature bounced cheerfully and chirped in delight. The card effect that brought Hane Kuriboh to the field allowed it only 150 Attack points. _Let's go, Aibou._

"I also activate Transcendent Wings! By sending two cards from my hand and Hane Kuriboh to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Hane Kuriboh LV10 from my hand or deck." A blinding, white light consumed Hane Kuriboh's figure. Its wings expanded and on top of Hane Kuriboh LV10 sat a headpiece shaped as a golden dragon.

Eyes widened, the darkly dressed teen froze in his place from deep shock, allowing whatever takes place to happen. Manjoume knew exactly what was about to come next...

"Hane Kuriboh LV10 (ATK: 300)! I activate its eff--"

"Yukiko-saaan!"

The bearer of the name swerved to the voice. Yukiko was astonished to see Shou running in, panting loudly and trying to catch some air back in his lungs.

"Shou...er...kun? What's the matter?" she asked.

"Daitokuji-sensei -huff- needs to see -puff- you..."

Yukiko pouted. "Aw... What? Now?" she whined.

"Yes, Daitokuji-sensei says it's -huff- urgent." Shou wheezed.

"But I'm--!" She turned to her opponent for his consent. "Manjoume-kun, you don't mind if I--"

"Just go."

Her face fell into a frown, but saying nothing, she hopped off the platform and followed the shorter boy. Giving Thunder one last glance, she felt a disappointment lingering in her heart.

---

Pharaoh screeched in disapproval at the startling banging at the door.

"Please, do come in."

In stepped exactly who the teacher had intended to meet. "You wanted to see me, Daitokuji-sensei?"

"That's right, Yukiko-kun." The spectacled man faced his blue-haired student. "Thank you for bringing her so quickly, Shou-kun, but I'd like to speak to her privately now."

Shou headed for the exit. "It was no trouble, sensei." Except that my lungs may have nearly exploded, he thought, pulling the knob and hearing the clack of the door shut, then left for his room.

"Nya, have a seat." Daitokuji gestured to a nearby chair that Yukiko took, if not a bit clumsily. The issue must have been serious for the teacher to call for her immediately, and the fact that this was going to be a private discussion was another thing to worry about. Good or bad, she wasn't sure where this would lead to.

"These past few days," he started, a sheen of light reflected off the lens of his glasses as he eyed the girl intently with an expression of complete seriousness, "they must have been hard for you, isn't that right, Yukiko--or should I say... Juudai-kun?"

The brunette fell off his seat with a harsh thud. Babbling like an idiot, the terms "but" and "how" and "why" came out to be more like gibberish than they were proper words.

Daitokuji chuckled at the teen's reaction. "Nya, calm down, Juudai-kun. I figured out what happened."

Juudai's frantic spazzing came to a pause when being informed of the new discovery, and blinking, he asked with disbelief, "Y-you did? That means you know what it was that changed me!" At the thought of being able to repair the main dilemma that had been haunting him the last few, but painfully long days, it was hard _not_ to jump up and do a celebrative dance.

"Yup! Now, can you think back to what you ate or drank the day before you changed?"

Crawling back to his seat, a finger prodding his chin, Juudai attempted to trace back on his consumption that day. "Hm... well, you had fried shrimp for us that day, sensei. It was really tasty!" He smacked his lips and patted his belly, the flavor sensation of deep-fried crustacean faint on his tastebuds.

The teacher's question was followed by another. "Yes, and did it taste different, _strange_ to you?"

Juudai's eyes wandered to the top of his head in pensive concentration. "Well, no... but the tofu did! I think it was the soy sauce." His face faulted at the unpleasant aftertaste of the Asiatic condiment.

And even with Juudai's intelligence, it didn't take long before the realization hit him. "You're saying that there was something wrong with that soy sauce?"

Daitokuji nodded. "Precisely. Actually, that wasn't soy sauce at all. It was a potion from my storage room. I still haven't figured out its properties, which was why I took it out to study. It must've dropped."

The brunette scrunched his brows. "Then how did you know it was me who changed, Daitokuji-sensei?" he questioned, a tad curious.

"I found the empty vial on the table where you, Shou-kun, Hayato-kun, and sometimes Manjoume-kun usually sit. With the exception of your disappearance, the other boys seemed to be fine."

From Daitokuji-sensei's simple deduction, Juudai wondered if the others had him easily figured out, and that brought panic to his skull.

"The good news is that I've come up with an antidote that will undo the potion's effects, but the antidote is the last of its kind and its effect will wear off in the next six hours. That's the reason I needed Shou-kun to bring you here as soon as possible."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was it. The chance to finally return to normal had come at long last! Back to bunking with his best friends, Shou and Hayato. Back to snoozing in class and tuning out dull lectures. Back to one-sided fooling around with Manjoume only to have him burst in aggravation. Back to... being flung insults from the black-haired boy whom he wished to be better friends with...

Then why was doubt dominating his subconscious?

"Sensei? Can I, uh... take care of a few things before I drink the antidote? I met some of my friends as a girl, and it would be weird if I just disappeared without me telling them I have to leave first." While he requested his professor's permission, he suddenly felt jittery all over.

"That's fine. But remember, nya, you have to watch the time!" Pharaoh leapt onto his owner's lap and Daitokuji gave the feline's ears a scratch, receiving a satisfied meow in response.

Juudai smiled warm-heartedly. "Thank you, Daitokuji-sensei. I seriously dunno where I'd be without you." As he up and left, the smile that he once wore had already faded.

---

The moon's eerie glow illuminated the opaque night sky, casting radiance upon ripened leaves of trees nearby. Light was plastered on the wooden walls and banisters, and shone brilliantly on dim orange locks.

Back leaning against the rail, the brunette rubbed his arms in hopes of creating some sort of friction to fight the fairly chilly wind. Something about the evening atmosphere struck him familiar. Juudai began lightly tapping his foot and stared off into space. Why was he doing this?

The soft pitter-patter of water droplets caught his attention. He laughed quietly, remembering how there had always been pipe leakage problems in the Osiris dorm that were never fixed, not that it ever bothered him. Juudai tip-toed to the newly accumulated puddle and peered into it.

Looking back at him was a feminine version of himself who shared many similar physical traits of his own. No, the figure in Juudai's reflection wasn't only his mere counterpart; she was Juukujou Yukiko. She got along well and easily with everyone, but for some reason or another, she was afraid of the one named Manjoume. And that Juudai couldn't understand, which brought him to the question again: Why was he doing this?

It was already undeniable his feelings toward the raven-haired boy, and an ambivalence of ache and giddiness bubbled in his chest whenever he thought about it. But what part of him decided that expressing his feelings was the right thing to do?

He smirked bitterly to himself. Manjoume said, probably more than a few times, that he couldn't stand Juudai, that he'd rather not be around him. Well, if that was the case, then would it be better for Manjoume if Juudai really did vanish?

What the arrogant duelist thought about Yukiko, the Osiris was unsure of, but hardly knowing her, he couldn't have disliked her more than he appeared to dislike Juudai.

Summoning his last nerve, he knocked on the door and waited.

So this was his final answer? He was about to sacrifice something he had been accustomed to his whole life. And for what? A matter of the heart that he still wasn't certain of. ...Then why was he willing to take that gamble when his mind told him otherwise?

No. No, this was all wrong. What was he thinking? The idea was last-minute; it was stupid. Perhaps it would be smart to turn back now and run as far, _far_ away from here as possible.

"What do you want?"

Too late.

Cool, grey eyes found a mop of auburn hair. "Oh, it's you."

The brunette's head snapped to the impassive voice. She searched desperately for the right words. "Oh, uh, Manjoume-kun. I'm... sorry we didn't get to finish our duel."

Manjoume snorted. "It doesn't matter. It looked to me like it was finished." Her monster was about to deflect his Armed Dragon's attack. The effect would destroy all the face-up Attack position monsters on his field and the combined Attack points of his monsters would be inflicted damage to the last of his Life Points.

"But it's not over till it's over!" she shouted with indignation out of impulse. Then, shrinking back, the girl said in a low voice, "Even though you didn't give it your all, thanks for the fun duel."

He eyed her again, wondering how in the world she knew his skill level and why, during the battle, he had a strong, indescribable will to beat her.

"Well, if that's all, I'm going back to sleep." It was... a decent duel, not that he was ready to admit it.

Juudai could have just let him go, could have just left.

"Wait!"

Back already turned, the darkly clad Osiris halted in his steps.

"I... I... like you. I really like you."

She said it. It didn't feel quite right, but she said it. It was done. She even dared to meet his gaze, awaiting his response.

He inched back slightly in surprise. A smirk soon found its way to his face.

"Sorry. I don't feel that way about you."

Yukiko put on a weak smile. Of course, what was she supposed to expect? It was stated plainly for her in black and white. Never mind her heart being torn in two. She dropped her gaze and couldn't help her shoulders from trembling.

A touch on his shoulder, Juudai brought his head up, gasping at the sight. Manjoume was giving him a smile, a small, but genuine and sincere smile. It was enough to set his heart pounding. What was even more unexpected was what he said next.

"I know you freak out around me, but I've seen you, and it's not like you. So do me a favor and just be yourself."

His words rang in Juudai's ears. As if things had become so much clearer, he knew exactly what to do.

Yukiko nodded, returning the smile. "Thanks, Manjoume-kun." She about-faced and descended the wooden staircase. One final look back, and she was gone.

Manjoume had a feeling this would be the last time he saw her.

* * *

Geh... so corny and cliched... Well, this is it folks. The end is near. The next chapter is the final chapter. Ironically, I found the duel easier to write than everything else. -sweatdrops- Wow, I should be stabbed for making Manjoume suck. Grah! Finding it extremely difficult to keep Juudai in character while referring him to female pronouns all the time. -murders self- Sorry if mingling "Juudai" and "Yukiko" in some parts was confusing, but Juudai's still Juudai, just currently with a female exterior. The last chapter shouldn't be so far away, that is, if I can whip myself from slacking off. Reviews (and reasonable flames) are welcomed, and thanks to all who've read this far! 


	7. Lilac

I am a horrible, horrible person. I know. I said I hoped it wouldn't take another year, and it has almost been that long already. (And the saddest part is that it was actually done a while ago. Ahaha...) Despite the fact that this is probably long forgotten, I've kept my word about finishing it through, and well, here it is.

Wow, it's been two years since I've first posted this fic? Yay, me! ...Or more like, shame on me! I wasn't really following with the episodes (again) so I didn't expect it to end so soon. If I'd known better, I would've tried to finish it before or with the series' end. (I didn't really like the fourth season anyway because of "grown up" Juudai. Blah.) But I've had many fond memories for the series and its characters (and ManJuu, of course -wink-), so I'll always cherish GX. Enough waterworks. Now on with the conclusion of this.

Disclaimer: Even if Yuugiou GX is done, I still can't own it, maybe not even 50 years after its airing. XD

Chapter Seven (Final Chapter)

The patch of grass coated in dew droplets felt moist beneath his fingers. The greenery was so very inviting, he decided it wouldn't hurt to lay down for a bit. A breath of wind tussled chestnut locks. Brushing the strands off his eyes, he inhaled the sweet plant-life aroma that pervaded the crisp air.

With his arms and legs spread wide apart, he felt like embracing the boundless, blue sky. Eyelids falling shut, his lips curved into a smile.

Today, it felt like nothing could go wrong.

_At the sound of the door shutting, the blonde turned to the arriver._

_"Yukiko! How did your duel go?" Asuka set the textbook she had been meticulously studying down on her lap and positioned herself away from the writing desk._

_The other girl laid her back against the door and lowered her head. "It was... exciting. But it got interrupted." Then with her eyes hard on her lap, Yukiko continued. "Daitokuji-sensei told me that he got a call from my parents and... I can go back with them."_

_Asuka's copper eyes followed the brunette as she slipped the Duel Disk off her arm and placed it beside the books on the desk. Yukiko took a seat on the bed, her head still bowed. Whatever it was, something was obviously bothering her._

_But she decided against bringing it up. She felt she could trust the girl enough to take her word for it. In fact, she was beginning to feel upset herself. Moods could be quite contagious at times, couldn't they? The sullenness spread like an airborne virus._

_With a sad smile, she asked, "You'll be leaving today? Right now?"_

_Yukiko nodded, unable to face her roommate. Juudai had never been a good liar, so it was hard to understand how guilty this made him feel now. "My parents are really worried about me, so I need to get back to them right away." She stood up, having the sudden need to walk away, isolate herself, and think things through._

_The Obelisk closed her eyes, her small smile still visible. She also rose from her seat._

_Yukiko found herself being drawn into a hug from her taller friend. The embrace was light and gentle, but the action was unexpected, and it took her by surprise. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. It was comforting, nonetheless._

_Asuka spoke closely to her ear in a half-whisper, her voice quivery. "Then... be careful, okay?" The blonde released her shorter companion. "Good-bye."_

_Yukiko smiled weakly, ready for her departure. "Thanks for everything, Asuka, and... good-bye."_

Juudai lifted his back off the ground. The corner of his eye caught a flickering yellow, demanding his full attention. He found the fluttering petals to his sudden intrigue, enticed by its vibrant colors of golden orange. Four petals bloomed from the flower's core, each large and bright. Its center was held by its thick stalk adorned with a pair of smooth-edged leaves. He picked the sunkist flower off its stem and took a whiff of its sour-sweet fragrance. It smelled faintly of a sweet lemon. Rising to his feet, Juudai stuffed the blossom into his jacket pocket and set off.

--

"Now settle down, everyone!" The spectacled professor held up his hands in attempts to calm his now impatient crowd.

"What are we doing, Sensei? Shou whined. Beside him, Hayato wore a similar frown.

Daitokuji-sensei wagged his finger, a tricky smile present on his feline face. "That's a surprise! Nya!"

"What surprise..." Manjoume muttered, crossing his arms. Seriously, he could care less.

Asuka, with her head low and eyes dropped, had been quiet. Shou turned about, noticing the blonde's melancholy and something else that seemed to be missing from the picture.

"Eh? Asuka-san, where's Yukiko-san?" Shou looked around for Asuka's cousin who was usually by her side.

The Obelisk faced the blue-haired boy with a false smile. "Her parents were worried about her, so she had to leave."

Shou pouted. "Aw... but we didn't even get to say good-bye!"

"It was urgent." Asuka added shortly.

For a second or two Shou's pout remained, but in an instant, a smile erased it.

"But she'll come back next time, right?"

Something about the boy's oblivious statement calmed her, and just like that, Asuka's somber expression began to vanish. "Right," she said with a smile.

"Ssshhh!" Heads turned to Daitokuji-sensei. "He'll be here any minute now!"

"Who'll be here?"

There was a round of silence which did well to amplify the group's disbelief. The students' eyes widened, some with their jaws agape. They thought they were looking at a ghost. Frozen still in their spots, they were unable to tear their eyes away from that person. The one who they called "Rival" "Brother" ... "Friend," who made such a big difference in their lives. Like their sunshine, his innocent and carefree light of jubilation and optimism had shone on them once again, casting away the darkness of fear and doubt.

"A-Aniki?" Shou was the first to raise his voice. His eyes welled up with tears.

"Juudai..." Manjoume uttered the name without having consciousness that it had even left his lips.

The crowd closed in on Juudai, still rather shocked by his unexpected reappearance.

"So Sensei was the one who found Aniki?" Shou asked.

"Well, about that..." Daitokuji-sensei began nervously, "Juudai-kun was lagging behind in all his classes, so I saw to it that he made up work to get his credits. But it wouldn't be fair to everyone else if only Juudai-kun gets to make up work, so we had to keep it a secret. He was never in any danger."

A short silence followed his explanation, then an atmosphere brewing with malice. The man felt eyes boring through him. He adjusted his glasses only to find his students glaring darkly at him. Daitokuji let out a squeak and cowered.

"You could've at least said something! We were all worried sick!" Shou protested. The group still held their strong glares at the teacher. Juudai laughed sheepishly, feeling sorry that his friends were taking it out on Daitokuji-sensei.

"But at least..." Asuka glanced at the brunette. "...he's here now and he's safe." She smiled. "That's all that matters." The empty space in her heart that troubled her earlier was closing slowly, but surely. She let a hand fall to her chest and sighed with utmost relief.

Their growls faltered. They couldn't argue with the fact of Juudai's "safe return."

"You know what that means..." A mischievous twinkle was in Shou's eye. And if that wasn't noticeable, then his sly grin said plenty.

Juudai watched helplessly as his friends inched closer to him slowly and eerily. Fear crawled down his spine. His gut instinct was trying to warn him about something. Something that went along the line of _Dude. RUN._

"DOG PILE!"

His eyes flew out of their sockets.

The gang pounced on the petrified teen. They gathered to enact in a group hug and soon after, tossed him into the air. Everyone was caught in the midst of their cheers and the boy's laughter.

A distance away, Juudai (while in mid-air) spotted a trace of lone black retreating from the others.

--

Juudai sauntered out of the main building hunched over, groaning unenthusiastically. He had just had a word with Principal Samejima, who had permitted the boy to redeem his credits, but now he was actually responsible for making up all the work. He continued to wail lazily as he slunk across the campus toward the Osiris Red dorm.

The blaring sun was beginning set in the late afternoon. The brunette straightened his back upright and stretched out. It wasn't worth his energy to mope on such a fine day. As he relished the warm air wrapping around his skin, he felt his misery slowly drain out of his system. The song of the evening cicada and the scent of asters... the essences of summer were sharp to his senses. Venting the air through his nostrils, he let out a large sigh of contentment.

His mind traveled back to a certain something he had taken with him not too long ago. Juudai rummaged through his pockets and gave a triumphant cry when he found what he was looking for. He whipped out the flower and held it to his nose, fascinated by its citrus scent. A thought popped in his head and he knew he would look and feel silly for it later, but he was in much too good of a spirit to care. Juudai tucked the flower in his hair so that it now sprouted between his bangs and side-locks, and resumed his trek for the dorm.

Juudai came to an abrupt stop in his tracks. He gulped as he recognized the single figure standing outside the dorm against a supporting pillar and approached it cautiously. As he got closer, he noted that the other teen looked zoned out, which wasn't like him at all. He seemed either deep in thought or almost like he was waiting for someone.

"Um... hey," Juudai had called low enough to have gone unheard.

_Okay, so... now what?_ The most rational thing to do was to get back to his own business. _That work isn't going to do itself._ He sighed inwardly in resignation. Besides, Manjoume probably wanted to be alone anyway. At least that was the impression he left.

The on-coming silence was expected, but as it stretched, it became almost unbearable. The awkward tension was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Time passed and he was beginning to have a nervous attack. The new heat glowing from his cheeks and ears certainly wasn't helping, only made things worse than they already were.

A part of him wished Manjoume shooed him off already. He knew what these building symptoms were a sign of, and he was hoping he wouldn't have to deal with them... not that soon. If Manjoume had just told him to "Get lost," he wouldn't have to feel the way he did right now. Then there was the other part of him that knew he was just lying to himself.

"...Something's wrong."

Juudai jolted at the sound of the voice. He desperately hoped his reaction wasn't visible enough to make a complete fool of himself. Why did he feel he would dread what would come next?

"You're never this quiet."

Juudai stiffened. Was this how a criminal felt being caught red-handed? It didn't make sense to feel he was in any sort of trouble though. It wasn't like the black-haired teen was demanding him to reveal his deepest _secrets_. But it seemed he needed to make an objection against his remark or justify himself in some way.

...No good. He couldn't think of anything. If only it was one of those times he could easily grasp at ends for answers... Anything!

So Juudai went along with habit. He scratched his head and said "Ahahah... Yeah, well..."

Pathetic, yes. At least it was no longer dead quiet. Anything to escape the dimension of quietude.

Manjoume turned to look at his only company. From what he saw, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The sight was something to ridicule.

Even to his avail, it wasn't enough to drive away the muted noise. The brunette didn't have to dwell very long on picking a new discussion topic though, because when he least expected it... something happened.

Juudai became paralyzed. Fingers swept lightly along the sides of his cheeks and at the tip of his ear, also slightly rustling his hair. When the feeling was gone, he wanted to turn to face the other to clear out what exactly happened. No, that would have been too conspicuous. Instead, he peered at the corner of his eye.

One would think Manjoume hadn't moved an inch at all. But he couldn't have imagined it! He didn't understand what or why it occurred, but something was definitely going on. And now Manjoume was going to pretend nothing happened?

Juudai didn't know what to think anymore. He was so scrambled at the moment, he probably wouldn't have realized if the one who caused his inner turmoil was already long gone.

His insides were an intense maelstrom of emotions that screamed for order. Confusion, anxiousness, embarrassment, and that wrenching pain in his chest--did he really need to go through this again? Wasn't last night's confrontation enough to drop those troublesome... feelings? If he pursued those feelings further, their friendship would be at risk.

...They _were_ friends... right? Dueling, having all kinds of fun with his friends--that's what Juudai wanted more than anything. If he were to ever lose one of his friends... He didn't dare think about the outcome.

Sure, Manjoume wasn't who someone would describe as "friendly," and he could be inconsiderate about other's feelings. He was rude, arrogant, and many things that would make becoming his friend seem like a miracle.

But Manjoume was Manjoume, and nothing in the world could change that. He would have it no other way. Juudai admired how the raven-haired boy stood up to his tyrannical brothers even under the pressure, how he rose up to the challenge time after time, loss after loss. He was glad to have known him.

A sudden image flashed through his memory, a vision of a familiar scene where two boys played cards on the floor of a dorm room, one excited to no end and the other free of care. It wasn't like the times when lives were at stake and Juudai needed to fight with everything in his power to protect them. It was merely a match they could enjoy without worry. All that mattered was that they had fun, and he knew he did. He really did.

The memory was accompanied by trivial moments, little things like the dark-haired teen yanking painfully at the brunette's ears, making him cry (and laugh) for mercy, the teen posing proudly as a detective and making clever and insightful deductions, and the same boy pulling a white sheet over Juudai's head and with one hand, shoving him back on the bed of the school's infirmary, telling him to shut up and rest. Little as they were, they seemed to hold much more meaning to them as he recalled each of them.

Then he was reminded of a scene not too long ago. In it was a group of students--they were his friends--crowding around outside his own dorm room. The din surrounded the reason behind Manjoume's presence. Then, as quickly as it started, the chatter died. An expression of shock, disbelief, _regret _clouded his face. Only those words pierced the silence.

_"What...?"_

_"That idiot..."_

That succeeded in dragging Juudai back to reality.

_He was... worried about me._

His heart hammered furiously against his ribcage. He froze in horror, having just noticed the distance between them nearly eliminated. In his unguarded state, he had unintentionally leaned his back to the other, their shoulders just touching. _Or was it an accident?_

But neither were as deathly surprising as the hand that sat on his opposite shoulder, the arm well-pressed to the width of his back. With a gentle force, Juudai was pulled into the other body so that he came face-to-face with a broad torso. Only then did the realization unwind itself.

Manjoume had him in an embrace. Firm, and yet soft.

It could have driven him mad. It sent him down a river of emotions. He couldn't begin to fathom the meaning of it. His mind stepped again in the field of possible explanations. _Why?_ and _Was there any reason?_

"...Idiot." Manjoume brought him a little closer. "You had us worried."

Juudai's eyes widened. He immediately retracted the questions and disconnected the chain of thoughts when one thought pushed itself away from the rest.

It didn't matter.

Manjoume's words--no, his _actions_ spoke enough. Forget the logic behind it all. All Juudai should be concerned with was how he felt.

Juudai leaned into the embrace, his hands going for the back of the other Osiris. He had done so with certainty. He laid his head over his chest, opening up his ear to listen intently to the soothing rhythm of his companion's heartbeats. As a response, the taller boy, at first hesitantly but regaining his motive, guided his hands to Juudai's back as well. Then, ever so slowly, he set his chin atop the shorter boy's shoulder.

Minutes, or what seemed to be hours, ticked away uneventfully. But unlike the previous, the silence was tender. At a distance, there were the scratchy singing of crows, calm humming of cicadas, and the melodic whistling of the wind with the swaying of lush grass. Had their eyes not been softly shut, their visions would be painted with a crimson hue and onyx silhouettes on the ground beneath the dorm building. They were, at the same time, undisturbing and undisturbed.

One final thought had arisen to Juudai's conscious. It felt so right... but was this what he really wanted? Would he be happiest this way?

He answered them, his eyes unopened and with a smile to his lips.

_Yes._

They had to release themselves from each other's grasps; they needed to. Though it was comforting, remaining in the position any longer would result in discomfort in their muscles. Pulling apart, Juudai's first instinct was to glance at Manjoume. Their eyes locked briefly before both had turned away quickly. A warm blush tinted his cheeks a rosy red that matched the falling sun. It didn't stop him from peeking again though.

Manjoume had on that rare smile Juudai witnessed just the night before, true and sincere. He found himself wearing one too, his with a little playful tone underneath.

Without any idea, both began to walk. It would've appeared to be a stroll from the consistent pattern of shuffling feet.

A loud, irritated growl erupted from the brunette's belly. Any other time and Manjoume would've sighed in annoyance and rubbed his temples. But at the moment, he didn't bother suppressing a small smile of amusement.

Juudai laughed, not very surprised by his hour of hunger. He was going to do something about it. Right now. One could practically hear the click of a light bulb switching on.

"Race ya to the cafeteria!" He made a mad dash for a head start, really just sprinting in random directions provided by his lightheaded joy. Manjoume growled lowly "Why, you--!" and didn't delay in giving chase.

This day couldn't get any better.

-End-

* * *

Um, so... that's it! Ack! -gets bombarded with tomatoes- Okay, okay! I know it wasn't a very satisfying ending. Maybe it's because there weren't as many interactions between Juudai/Yukiko and Manjoume as I would've liked. Maybe it's because I haven't touched much on Manjoume's thoughts and feelings, but the story focuses on how Juudai resolves his own conflict, and the feelings he discover. So what has become of the two? Whether they are in a romantic relationship or have greatly strengthened the bond of their friendship is all up for you to decide. -wink- Vulpixi Misa and I wanted to write this because two years ago, we've seen a lot of Manjoume/Chazz-turn-girl fics and we wanted more Juudai/Jaden gender-benders (with our GX OTP, nonetheless X3). That and we wanted to show that one doesn't fall in love with another because their sex change, that one could still love the other's true self without the sex change. So from these few chapters, we wanted to achieve these, even if just a small extent.

So I want to thank you all again for reading through from start to finish. Thank you readers, alerters, those who have been constantly reviewing each chapter. I probably would have just been left in the dark and I would've given up long, long ago. I never, and probably never will again, have as many reviews for a fic, and I'm very surprised because there are only so many chapters. What's more surprising is that I haven't ever had a bad comment, and for that I'm grateful beyond words. Even though things were bumpy at times, I know I enjoyed writing this. But the greatest thing is knowing that people have enjoyed it, even when I was uncertain about it myself. This is all bringing tears to my eyes. Thank you all, for your love, your support. For everything.


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